Through the Wormhole: Year 2
by dunuelos
Summary: Harry visits Earth after his first few months before returning. But tensions are rising on Deep Space 9 between races. There are plots happening in the background. Deep Space 9's resident wizard is a magnet for trouble and ends up in the deep end of the pool. Season 2 now finished. Season three will be another sequel.
1. Back to Earth

Harry Potter's time on Earth was good for him and the elves.

One of the things Harry wanted to do was to clear out his magical storage. Carrying many millions of pounds worth of supplies was originally helpful, but it had gotten old.

His first step was to locate a particular piece of land and, through the King, arrange to become its owner. There might be no Hogwarts in this dimension, but the site did contain an old, ruined castle that was maintained as being of historical interest. In Hogwarts, what would have been the Slytherin dungeons were perfect for his use. These lowest levels, like Hogwarts, were built right into bedrock. The rooms had been storage and places for men-at-arms to sleep during a siege. The rooms had no important artifacts and there was no way to make it safe for tourists without extensive modifications – not allowed as the site was considered historical.

His own use was considered secret – only the King and Crown Prince knew of it. And it was only possible because Harry didn't actually change the rooms, which would have been a violation of law. He and the elves only hid them magically and tied in a powerful stasis ward, and the magic of Earth would keep it running.

During the transfer, something came to light. There were items Hermione had included which had not made it onto his manifest. He found a letter on one of the chests.

_Dear Harry;_

_To be truthful, I hope that you never find this note. _

_You have volunteered to go speak to the beings beyond the Veil and we think it likely you can return. But you seem to be satisfied with the idea that you might not return. _

_For the last year and a half, I have assisted you in obtaining everything that might be needed to establish yourself in a new world/dimension/universe. We have come up with electronic storage for muggle media and magical and non-magical ways for you to enjoy them._

_But one thing that could be lost is the knowledge of how the music was made. For different reasons, I have included the trunk this is attached to. It includes working examples of all traditional musical instruments that I could find and pay for._

_With the tens of millions of pounds you are spending, spending a million or so for instruments and instruction books to play them is a small cost. _

_If you return from the Veil, I will retrieve this note and ask you to store the chest in a vault so that some future descendant of yours will have access. _

_But if you don't return and you find this, it means that you are working on putting down permanent roots. I will always love you and wish you the best, no matter where and when you might be. No matter what, I hope that you have a rich and long life with people who love you and who respect you._

_Love, Hermione_

Harry read the note with exasperated fondness. "What am I going to do with a bunch of musical instruments?" Harry knew he was not suited to performing or even enchanting things to perform music. Hermione also knew he had no talent, so she likely intended them to be used by others Harry chose.

Dobby, who was assisting with retrievals, said, "Tell King Charles. He might have a place for them."

Harry's face lit up. "Good idea. Winky!" His second house elf appeared. "Can you ask the Royal Scheduler when King Charles might have time to visit me here?" They were using a lower level of the castle as a staging area. Winky and Dobby would move things to storage as needed.

As she popped off Harry looked at Dobby. "We'll have to get them all out of storage. I'm certain removing them from stasis will be fine for them."

Harry reread the note. "Three quarters of a million pounds? What the hell cost that much?" He looked at Dobby. "Can you find the financial records in this chest?" Dobby went in and came out a few minutes later, handling him a sheaf of paper.

Harry started looking at it. "20,000 pounds for a piano? 4 violins at 1500 pounds each? And a note that a standard orchestra needs 30 violins." Harry looked at Dobby. "Hermione was trying too hard."

"Miss Moiney was fond of details."

"True," Harry said with amusement. He went back to the list. "Another 8,000 pounds for four violas." He quickly leafed through and got to the final page.

_"If I had gone for the best instruments, this could have cost your entire budget, even taking into account the increase due to the Queen buying the gold closer to Muggle market value. Quality musical instruments cost money. Love, H."_

Hermione, Harry decided, could be a snob when she wanted to be. But considering she had done a lot of the work without bugging him at every step, he couldn't complain. She really had set him up pretty well. Even if sometimes he thought she had been planning for a whole colony to be set up from his stores.

Winky came back. "King Charles can visit for tea and after. I offered to serve tea for my Master and the King."

Harry nodded. At least the elves were learning to do things without checking with him first. "Okay. So that's about two and a half hours. How long would it take to remove all instruments from storage?"

Dobby and Winky conferred. "Thirty minutes, Master Harry," Dobby finally answered.

"Let's spend another hour sorting out what we have and moving things away. Then we can unload the instruments and then we take a break."

The two elves nodded.

* * *

When the break came, Harry thought about Hermione and her reactions during the last years before he left. Thinking back, she _had_ been very detail-oriented. She had also made a few statements which, now that he thought about it, seemed to indicate she expected him to bring more people.

He had been adamant and only his elves had convinced him to come with him. Hermione hadn't been horrible with her arguments, but she had been persistent up until about a month before he was scheduled to jump through.

Harry thought back to his sister-figure with love. She really hadn't been comfortable sending him on alone. And if he had expressed any doubts, he now guessed she would have convinced him to allow her, Ron, and a few others to come with him, despite the danger of failing.

He loved her, really he did, but looking back he recognized how much of a busy-body she could be. He couldn't hate her for it – that had saved his life quite a number of times as a teenager – but it was likely better that she was left behind.

Ron needed someone like that to keep him straight as without it, Harry's first friend would have been too lazy to do as well as he did. Harry himself could be lazy – but he had the elves which kept him from vegging out too much.

When tea time arrived, King Charles showed up as scheduled. "Sir Harry. How is your project progressing?" he asked congenially.

Harry sat down as the elves started serving. "I've found a few things I didn't know I had. Dobby," he nodded as his elf, "suggested getting your input on one of them."

Charles chuckled. "Some of the things you've showed us were quite valuable."

Harry said with some embarrassment, "But some of them are just archaic."

Charles shrugged as he sipped his tea. "Some people are impressed with archaic."

Harry sighed. "But the trouble is that they aren't _actually_ old. If we went strictly by date of manufacture, they are of twenty-first century origin. But quantum dating indicates the items are only a few years old or even less."

Charles looked at the Knight that had appeared on his radar the year before. "Your viewpoint is a product of the society you come from. Yes. From a monetary-driven viewpoint, quite a number of things you brought are less than impressive. But overall we don't care about such things anymore.

"If you brought out, say, a twentieth-century tennis racket, I would be interested because I would want to see how it was made. Do our modern re-creations accurately reflect the quality our ancestors had? Does that mean we want to use old tennis rackets? Personally, I prefer the latest rackets." Charles was a tennis player even at his late middle-age, or what was considered late middle-age now. Charles was in his sixties. His father, Charles VII, would have been hale and still king if he hadn't died in a shuttle accident years earlier. Prince William didn't expect to reach the throne for another forty years and he was fine with that.

The king continued, "After Earth started recovering from the Atomic Age, things were recreated based on what was written or assumed or what was found during the rebuilding. People created 'replicas' based on what seemed to match, but that doesn't mean we were always successful. How could we know? We were recovering from wars that had lasted three generations. And even the immediate aftermath was repressive in many ways. Books were burned, records destroyed. Two more generations is what it took to free ourselves from disease, poverty, and extremist regimes. And then we were more interested in where we were going instead of where we had been.

"It took another hundred years before systematic recovery of our lost cultural heritage became important again to enough people to make a difference. So, monetarily, many of the things you have are not important. Culturally? You, Sir Harry, and your friend Hermione Granger, have done much for us and I am grateful."

Harry nodded toward Charles with his thanks. "Hermione would have truly appreciated your words far more than I do and I am experiencing them first hand. She is one of only a very few people I truly miss from my younger years."

Charles said with some humor and a bit of seriousness, "If I had the opportunity, I would have named her Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. That was the traditional order for people who contributed to British culture and so forth. According to law, I can only confirm Orders of Chivalry – not create them. At least beyond theoretically. But she really deserves it."

Harry had learned after contacting the Royal family how different things were in the here and now. When the governments of the world were being reconstituted, the Royal Family was acknowledged as the Hereditary Royal family of Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations, but their place was deemed ceremonial only.

British Orders of Chivalry and other national honors such as the Orders of Canada and Australia were, for the most part, deemed archaic devices. Many who had been given such honors during those chaotic years didn't truly deserve them, but some did.

As the Hereditary King and Head of the Commonwealth, the Royal Family was given the power to acknowledge such honors when deemed appropriate, thus giving them legal legitimacy while also giving legitimacy to the wholesale revoking of honors that were not deemed as deserved (a much longer list). This was why Harry's own acknowledgement as Knight of the Thistle had legal standing.

"She would consider it a great honor," Harry said with a wistful smile.

Harry always had trouble with tense when talking about his former life and friends. This time on his current timeline seemed to conform to the early twenty-first century on his old timeline. As far as he knew, all his friends were still alive.

The whole subject gave him headaches when he thought about it in too much detail, though.

Soon, tea was finished. Harry and Charles stood up together. "Now. Let's see this matter you need Our input on."

Harry led him to the large room he had been allowed to use. Harry stopped him just inside and motioned.

Charles looked out at the contents of the room. "My word."

Harry grinned at him. "That's so British."

Charles chuckled. "What exactly am I seeing?" he asked.

Harry sighed. "My friend Hermione decided that I needed to be sent off with traditional instruments of all types so that I could have a rich life. I have no talent for performance. So while I'll likely bring a few instruments with me to give as gifts when appropriate, most of them … someone else really should take charge of them."

Harry would keep what most people of his generation considered proper for a small band as well as a few acoustic guitars. He liked hearing those played, even if he couldn't play them. Maybe he could get a holo-program to run them. He remembered something.

"I would like to gift one of the violins to someone as well."

"To whom?" Charles asked curiously.

"Commander Data on the Enterprise. He helped me when I first arrived to transfer all of the digital knowledge I had to systems that would be understood now. What was a few terabytes of data converted to a much smaller package here."

"Bytes? How does that compare to quads?"

"Byte is base two. Quad is base 4. Computers where I come from only use base two – on and off. Here the computers are powered by plasma and four different states are recognized; more information in smaller spaces, but much more complex."

Charles chuckled, "I paid much more attention to the social sciences when I was in school rather than computer science. I know how computers work but I never studied alternate systems."

"Where I come from, we used basic electricity. The average person understood solid, liquid, gas. Plasma as a fourth state was high level science."

Charles waved him off. "That's fascinating and all, but let's get back to this." He looked around and then asked, "What do you want to have happen to this?"

Harry looked around the room helplessly. "Can't you do something with them? Put together a Royal Orchestra or something? Is there a Royal Musical Conservatory?"

Charles said, "No. But I suppose one could be chartered." He then said with some small tone of wonder, "Royal means something to you, doesn't it?"

"Where I'm from, Royal has true significance. A lot of the Queen's power was ceremonial, but we ultimately answered to her. To be British was to trust that no matter what, the Queen was there to run to if everything else went to pieces. Being a Royal servant was considered honorable and important. As soon as we heard 'Royal' we deferred to whatever was labeled so."

Charles shook his head. "There was so much trust held by my ancestors. Royal has become something considered interesting but of little importance."

Harry chuckled. "It helped that we hadn't really had a bad king per se since … well, James II. When William of Orange became King, he started a pretty decent run of monarchs. George III was a bit crazy, which led to the Colonies across the pond breaking away, but he wasn't _that_ bad."

"I think all of the Kings and Queens of Britain and England had their good and bad points, some more obvious, some less. None was perfect."

Harry said with humor, "Now that's just not cricket to go and admit that out loud. Loyalty demands that the British forgive their monarch their foibles." He paused. "Except for Richard the Third. And John of course. He was an arse. There was a reason no King was ever named John again."

Charles lightly commented, "It _was_ over a thousand years ago now. We don't have to dwell on John's inadequacies."

Harry said, "He still was an arse." Harry gave Charles a smirk. "There's a certain joy that I feel when I get to call a toilet the common nickname of the John."

Charles laughed. "Okay. That is amusing. Now. As far as commissioning a Royal Musical Conservatory …."

Harry said, "I'm gifting all of this to the people of Britain via the Royal House of Windsor. You can do whatever you like with them."

Charles sighed. "The Royal Household has had more work in the last year than we had in the ten years previous. You are keeping us on our toes."

"Just being a loyal British subject."

* * *

One class of supplies he kept with him was a store of wines and spirits. He (and his elves) could duplicate them magically and they kept a "Master Bar" which was treated with care. The original was never opened.

Harry had included cases of various beers, wines, and spirits, to be used as a possible source of trade. And while he had used some of what he brought as an income source, holding on to the vast supply was more trouble than it was worth.

Some he gave to the Royal Household. He sent fourteen cases of spirits and twenty cases of beer made in the former United States to Joseph Sisko. There were many dishes that the older man could make with bourbon, whiskey, gin, and rye. The beer, in Harry's opinion, was only good for cooking with because in his opinion drinking them wasn't worth the effort.

Many things from across the pond had confused him when he still lived in his original timeline. Americans had some great music, decent spirits, some very good wines, and totally crap beer. And for some reason the bloody Yanks had seemed proudest of their beer. Or at least it seemed that way from his outsider's perspective. He had a few more cases he'd give to Benjamin back on Deep Space 9 and then he'd be happily shot of them.

He didn't even keep examples of American beers in his Master Bar.


	2. Reclamation Process

Once Harry had worked through his magical storage and scheduled the trips he wanted to take while he was on Earth, he got a bit bored. He decided he was going to act on something that continued to concern him. His first step was talking to the King. "Majesty, do you remember what you told me when I arrived the first time?"

"About what, Sir Harry?" the King asked with some curiosity.

"You said that the Royal Family had funded transporter technology so as to clean up Britain from the effects of World War III."

"That's right," Charles agreed.

"How long did it take to clean up the land?" he asked.

The King considered that. "It took years, though it became much easier toward the end."

"With the advances in transporters and scanners?" Harry asked.

"Exactly. The first thing that had to be removed was radioactive particles – elements that had been irradiated and which now were radioactive themselves. That wasn't hard because the scanners could detect the radiation. No. What was difficult was the next step."

"Which was?"

"The fallout was … ," Charles stopped and then re-ordered his thoughts. "The immediate poisonous aspect was bad enough. But what lingered was worse: Chemicals that were thought to be normal were actually isotopes that proved deadly. Almost nothing grew, and that which did contained toxic levels of these isotopes which would kill animals which made their way back.

"Soil reclamation was done by very large machines which had extremely precise targeting scanners to detect and then remove the damaged soil or organic material. It was only in the final years of the project that scanners could be used at larger distances."

"How did that help?" Harry asked curiously.

"Instead of cleaning it in place, the top layer of soil was transported out, put through a cleaning process, and then transported back once scanners determined if and how it was contaminated."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Harry observed.

"It was," the King agreed. "But we were determined to reclaim Britain for the people. It was the only choice." He took a sip of the refreshments delivered by Harry's retainers. "Why the interest?"

Harry sighed. "How much do you know of what happened on Bajor?"

Charles thought about it. "I studied what was known when the Botanical Institute was commissioned. But what specifically are you thinking of?"

"When the Cardassian occupation ended, they acted like the Romans of old," Harry explained. "They destroyed the infrastructure and poisoned vast tracts of farmland out of spite as they left."

Charles winced with distaste. "If they couldn't use it, no one could?" Harry nodded in agreement. "I can understand why you are so interested in how we cleaned up Britain." Charles looked at his loyal knight. "Why are you so invested in cleaning up Bajor?"

Harry considered that for a long moment. "I think it is because I came in via the wormhole and I feel a connection. Besides, it's the right thing to do."

Charles agreed. "Do you know what the poisons are?"

Harry named it. "Mostly the byproducts of processing the ore they strip-mined Bajor for."

"How poisonous is it?"

Harry called it up in the database and showed it. Charles whistled. "That's bad."

"It stopped a lot of plants from growing and ruined a lot of crops. It was one of the reasons the Bajoran Provisional Government called in the Federation – otherwise people would have starved."

Charles asked, "How are they dealing with the contamination?"

"They have soil reclamators … just not enough. Different farming communities are on a long list prioritized by the Provisional Government. Unfortunately, politics are involved as far as who gets them first or for how long. They are building reclamation plants – but that runs into the nimby principle." Charles looked curious at the slang term. "Nimby – not in my backyard. It covers things that people know are needed but they don't want to be anywhere near. 'Let someone else deal with having it'."

Charles said, "I understand the concept, I just never heard it referred to as … nimby?" Harry nodded. "Current practice on Earth favors those who have to suffer disadvantage due to infrastructure requirements. They are often given better access to things considered luxuries or are the first to see improvements implemented."

Harry chuckled, "I guess there are good things about moving away from the concept of money and wealth – as long as there isn't endemic corruption."

Charles agreed. "Do you have a sample of the soil?"

Harry chuckled. "I have seven different containers with about 5 kilograms each from different areas. I could have assumed it was all the same but, well, I don't trust arseholes that much. And the Cardassians seemed to be arseholes about things when they left Bajor."

Charles admitted, "You have a point. Contact the Botanical Institute – their scanners are very good."

Harry looked at Charles and said with some embarrassment, "I didn't even think of that route. On Bajor, the Institute is concentrating on proper fertilization for different crop plants. I didn't even consider making the request for a detailed analysis of the poisoned lands because the major poisons are generally known."

Charles shrugged, "It is better to have the actual samples. We still have the reclamators that were used before the final facilities were built – they are owned by the Royal Household. We haven't had a need of them in years now."

Harry asked, "Can they be moved to Bajor?"

"They can but not instantly. It takes a special shuttle to move them and even on a large starship there is limited cargo space."

"What would it take?" Harry asked.

Charles made arrangements and Harry was taken to the storage facility. As promised, the soil reclamators were HUGE. They were also modular, allowing them to be disassembled and flown by shuttle. Manufactured on Earth and used on Earth, no one had actually ever attempted to move them to another planet.

The Hereditary King of Great Britain made arrangements with Starfleet Academy. The professors were quite enthralled with the idea of exposing their students to technology they might have to repair during their service in Starfleet. Not everything Starfleet ran into was shiny and new.

During Harry's six weeks on Earth, the eight machines were made operational. The shuttle which was needed to move the frames was brought up to operational status as well.

* * *

Benjamin Sisko hit his comm badge. "Go ahead."

"Commander," Dax's voice came through. "We've received a request via subspace from Earth."

"What kind of request?" he asked.

"According to this, a video link communication will come in at 18:46 Bajoran time originating from … New Buckingham Palace on Earth."

Sisko's eyes widened. "That's a long distance call for just a hello. I assume it's from our Knight Errant?" he asked with a small amount of amusement. That was the nickname that the command staff used to refer to Harry after he had left.

"Not entirely," Dax replied. "The request if for you along with your Second-in-Command, Major Kira, and the originating party is the Hereditary King. Also present will be the Hereditary Crown Prince, William, and Sir Harry Potter."

"Sounds official; please ask Major Kira to see me when she gets on shift."

"Yes, Commander," Dax said with a smile.

* * *

Having been warned Sisko and Kira were ready and the call was patched through. Both had looked up the protocols as well. "How may we be of service?" Sisko asked after introductions were completed.

Charles answered, "Major Kira, I specifically called to speak to you. My son, Prince William, and Sir Harry require your assistance as regards a matter of importance."

"Sir?" she asked for more information. She wasn't Human and Bajorans weren't too impressed with royalty.

He didn't seem offended. "You are aware that Sir Harry Potter is planning on returning to Deep Space 9 and Bajor in approximately 4 weeks?"

"Yes. He alerted us to his plans before he left."

"Good. We will need clearance to deliver some equipment, but fear someone may interfere if we announce it publicly. We have heard reports that there might be some issues with some elements of Bajoran society?"

Major Kira sighed. "Yes. Unfortunately. A movement called the Circle has stirred up resentment toward non-Bajoran interference. There has been an advisory for non-Bajorans to stay to busy areas and to travel in large groups. What specifically needs to be delivered and how quietly can it be delivered?"

Harry spoke then, "It cannot be quiet – but we would like to deliver right after the Tellarite freighter carrying it arrives in system."

Sisko asked, "What is being delivered?"

William spoke, "My Royal father has been apprised of the spiteful actions committed by the Cardassians upon being forced to leave. There are currently 35,000 hectares – 350 square kilometers – of poisoned farmland requiring reclamation. Or so it was reported?"

Kira nodded. "Yes. Some areas have been reclaimed and large-scale processes are being planned. It will take years."

"Unacceptable," Charles voiced. "_We_ are dissatisfied with the level of effort being expended by others claiming a lack of resources."

Harry murmured, "That's the Royal _We_."

Charles flashed Harry a sardonic look and then became serious again. "Commander Sisko? Are you familiar with the efforts that were required to reclaim the vast majority of the English countryside after the end of World War III?"

Kira looked at Sisko who explained, "The Augment Wars, precursor to World War III, began when the augments in charge of various nation states on Earth bombed industrial and political centers around the world. Earth lost 600 million lives and the vast majority of cities and governments. And while the Augment Wars began with widespread slaughter, World War III included directed ecological attacks on enemy lands. There is a reason why San Francisco became the capital of North America – the East Coast was a ruin. Efforts have been expended in the time since to reclaim areas that were declared uninhabitable. Much of England was included in that. The Royal family, descended of the last member of the Royal family to survive the initial attack, has directed every resource to return England to its former glory."

"Quite," Charles said. "Our family also did this to ensure our traditional subjects could grow their own food and live well. We may no longer _rule_ but We _are_ the caretaker of Great Britain and its people."

Kira said, "So you have experience cleaning poisoned land."

"Yes. Our last eight reclamators, each large enough to process five kilometer per hour in wide swaths are being serviced and brought up to operational status. With maintenance requirements, the maximum daily operation is sixteen square kilometers per day for the fleet. 350 square kilometers can be done given sufficient effort. Add processing and removal time for what is removed from the soil, two months will be needed if everything goes perfectly. It will likely take twice as long because things rarely go perfectly."

Kira was agog – this was not what she had been expecting. "When would they arrive?"

"Five weeks. The USS Glen Lyon will be carrying the crew needed to service the machines and to teach your people to operate them. I am sure it will be a matter of pride that your own people did the hard work. The shuttle to move them around will come with them."

Kira said, "Anything to help recover from the occupation is a blessing. What supplies will be needed and what happens when we are finished using the machines?"

William spoke, "They will need fuel – plasma energy, the same as you use for the machines you already have. An energy supply for the fifteen days of operation will arrive with the fleet. The materials that will needed to replace the damaged and poisoned portions will have to be provided by your world. And when Bajor is finished with the reclamators, they will need to be cleaned before being stored. As far as returning them to Earth – we will determine what we wish to do with them once the process is complete. It's possible they could be used by other planets suffering from the need to clean their soil from past mistakes."

Major Kira considered it. "I will have to get permission from at least someone in the Council of Ministers."

"Can you be assured that whomever you contact will act in the best interests of Bajor?" There was a hard truth: Politics were more important than people to many.

Harry slapped himself on his head. "We're forgetting the Institute again. Much of what we're doing … instead of contacting the Ministers we can work through the existing charter of the Botanical Institute. The Institute already works with land owners. Do you see any trouble with that approach?"

It took some work but the Institute made arrangements with a landowner that was grateful for the assistance he had already gotten. Major Kira then reported the planned delivery as unspecified equipment to be owned and managed by the Botanical Institute.

Major Kira and Commander Sisko were very careful to minimize knowledge of what was coming. When it arrived, it would become known quickly. But there was too much of a chance of interference from the Cardassians, Bajorans, or even Ferengi who wished to make a profit from charging a fee to arrange such services.


	3. Return to the Bajor System

A/N: As far as the Vulcans showing _how_ to clean up, that may be true. According to what I've written, it was only in the last century that England was cleaned up and only in the last fifty years that vast areas were rebuilt. The reclamation work had to take over two hundred years total. Protein re-sequencers where in wide use on Kirk's Enterprise. I imagine convincing people that it was real food was a major issue. According to TNG, the immediate aftermath of WWIII saw the barbaric courts and the wide use of mind control drugs that Q modeled during his first appearance.

You remember Enterprise, the show, how Archer was always admiring the dishes Cookie was making. I would assume from this that most people got resequences food and real food was a treat. I think I'm pretty faithful to what is called "Canon" in Star Trek. As far as money, the Federation uses some credit system based on energy output ... it's money but they hate calling it that.

* * *

Harry was on his way back to Deep Space 9, via Utopia Planetia on Mars. Several items Miles O'Brien had requested were available and Harry had the space. The Glen Lyon had their VIP quarters ready, so they had no issues.

Harry connected his recordings of science fiction shows and with some glee said, "Computer. Load media. Identify and list all examples of star ships of all types." It took a bit of time. "Calculate feasibility of each ship based on known physics and construction materials."

It turned out that the computer wasn't as flexible as he would have liked. He looked at Dobby and Winky who had been watching him make the attempt. "Well, guys? Any ideas?"

Winky and Dobby glanced at each other and then Winky spoke. "Master Harry, traveling back to Deep Space 9 there are many people. Some are engineers. Would one of them know what can be done or how?"

Harry looked at the two elves for a long moment and then grinned widely. "Wonderful idea, Winky. How do you feel about hosting a movie marathon?"

* * *

The Royal Engineers, augmented by several Star Fleet engineers that were to be posted on Deep Space 9, were quite enthralled by Star Wars. The Last Starfighter was also interesting to them. Seeing what late-twentieth century Earth saw as fiction was interesting. Harry included the two versions of Battlestar Galactica, but only the first episodes.

The idea of hyperspace vs. subspace was fodder for quite a lot of debate. Harry kept out of it because they had moved far beyond his understanding of quantum physics.

He then explained that he was reviewing these old vids for inspiration on building a ship based on fiction from his world.

Harry wanted a ship which could hold up to attack exceptionally well. What he needed the most help with was what could go into making ships and their hulls.

There were many materials used. Tritanium and was used, as was duranium. Different races used different materials. The Federation used exotic hull materials for ships designed for specific functions. One hull material allowed a ship to get much closer to a sun – but left it vulnerable to disrupter type weapons. Another was used to protect against exotic stellar radiation, but made transporters almost useless with them.

He found information on exotic compounds in the Starfleet database but choosing would be a product of availability and cost. He also wanted to see what magic could do – there were magical refining processes which produced materials that were hard to enchant but made excellent protections against curse-breaking thieves.

There were also spells which would transform different materials, allowing them to be shaped and worked until the transfiguration was cancelled – leaving magical products made from impossibly hard metals in great detail.

Harry owned a statute of Hephaestus, God of the Forge, bought by an ancestor long ago. It was made of titanium but the detail was exquisite. His ancestors were artisans – potters – and had contacts and contracts with people who still revered Hephaestus, otherwise known as Vulcan.

His ancestors had been so impressed that they had learned how to do it and then developed spells and rituals to perform transmutations on a much larger scale. They then realized that their ability to charge large fees would disappear if such magic was known to exist. And so the magic had been hidden away.

His ancestors were, like most people, quite interested in making money.

Harry was not skilled enough to do the exotic transfiguration/transmutation spells yet – but he had plans to become proficient enough to make it useful by practicing.

* * *

Two days from Earth, Harry was in his quarters when the door chime sounded. "Come," he called out.

Turning, he watched a grinning Lars Dresbach come into his quarters. "Sir Harry," he said.

Harry said, "Just Harry. We're both about the same age and we don't work for each other."

Lars instantly answered, "I still work for the Royals."

Harry said with amusement, "But it's not like they actually are the government anymore."

"It's tradition!" Lars protested. "Besides, they're pretty decent people all around."

Harry sighed. "Okay. Anyway. Mr. Dresbach. Lars. You came rushing in because …"

Lars immediately focused again. "Yes! Come on! The Lads have something we want you to see!" The Royal Engineers had loved the nickname "the Lads" that Harry had dubbed them with, especially when they heard stories about fictional stories using "the Lads" as a catchall nickname for competent minions waiting to be called in by the hero or by those in charge of said hero.

Harry got up. "I hope this is worth it," he said even as he moved toward the exit.

Lars had already left and was waiting impatiently in the passageway.

They got to the passageway and Harry found people actually waiting. "Okay, Lads. I'm here. What do you people have?"

Lars hit the holosuite controls and called out, "Computer. Run Program Potter Fun 9."

There was a chirp and the door opened. Harry was amazed. What appeared in the holosuite was an image of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. The setting was the Mos Eisley hanger bay just as it first appeared in the movie. Harry whistled. "How long did it take to get this running?"

Stephan Smalls waved that off. "We just had the holosuite create that from a scan of the movie. But we felt like it was a good setting to work out details."

Harry nodded. "What kind of details?"

Rebecca Steilson, one of the two female engineers, said, "Come on up the entryway. This is version 9 – we kept running into things which made us start over – but we've worked out a base to expand from."

Harry followed the Engineers in. And much more faithfully than he would have been able to do, the Royal Engineers showed off the Millennium Falcon program. And while it might never become a reality, Harry enjoyed the mockup greatly.

He was even allowed to take it out for a simulated spin. The bridge was cramped and the weapons required two of the engineers to go into gunners stations – just like the movie – but overall it was quite fun.

Harry said, "This is great! It almost makes me wish it was real. Can you imagine …."

Lars grinned. "Computer! Modify Potter Fun 9 to Potter Fun 9A, adding characters."

Holographic characters appeared, specifically Han Solo, Chewbacca the Wookie, and R2D2. The characters weren't complex (Harry was told they needed work) but they were funny.

Rebecca asked the Han character, "How long until the warp drive on this bucket of bolts can get us to Deep Space 9?"

And in perfect mimicry of the movie character's snarkiness Solo said, "Excuse me, your Worshipfulness, but I'll be able to answer questions – once you get out of the way!"

Harry laughed hard at that, which caused Chewbacca to snarl at him. Han said, "You said it, buddy."

Harry said, "Excuse me," and then had to laugh more.

Rebecca explained, "Because the program is really to design a workable model, we used actual engineering terms and stellar locations in the program, even if the characters are there mostly for fun."

Harry grinned, "That was awesome!"

Lars was grinning. "We thought you'd like that."

Harry was curious, "Have you guys considered putting together a holonovel based on those films?"

The Royal Engineers conferred together. "That would be fun – but it would have to be outside of our normal duties."

Harry said, "You already are far ahead of me on making realistic scenes. My first attempts were … simplistic. My twentieth century concert scenes took the computer analyzing and adding videos that I had entered in."

Lars waved him off. "It just takes practice. It's the kind of thing you get used to."

Rebecca added, "The trick is to accurately judge what is better created by the computer and what is better to be programmed by the author."

Harry said, "I'd appreciate your input. We'll be at Deep Space 9 in two days. And then we have a week before the Tellarite freighter comes in with the reclamators. It will take some work with Sisko and Colonel Kira, but outside of that, if any of you want to work together in this, I would enjoy it."

All of the Lads voiced enthusiastic interest.

* * *

Major Kira Nerys was running the command area when the report came in. "Major. USS Glen Lyon is requesting docking. Directing them to Docking Point 9."

Nerys smiled. "How many are coming over?"

"Four engineers being assigned to DS9. Sir Harry Potter and his retainers. Sir Harry also reports that there are eight members of the Royal Engineers of Britain that are here for a special project." The ensign looked at Kira. "Special project?"

Major Kira said, "Details coming out next week for general knowledge; nothing to do with the station. They will be waiting for some supplies scheduled to arrive soon." The ensign just blinked at her. "Instruct them that they will be met."

"Aye, Ma'am."

O'Brien and Kira were waiting for Harry as he led the group off of the Glen Lyon. "Sir Harry. Welcome back to Deep Space 9."

"Thank you, Major Kira. Chief O'Brien, I'm glad you're here. I've got four who are to report to you although we'll be borrowing them in a week?" he looked at Kira.

Kira spoke. "Chief. In one week, special equipment will be delivered to Bajor from Earth via a Tellarite freighter. The four engineers Sir Harry brought have been familiarized with the equipment and what will be needed for delivery. It will require four days."

Miles considered that. "Well, I'm glad for the warning. What will the job entail?"

"Equipment assembly. Further details are confidential until the equipment arrives, by agreement between the Royal House of Windsor and the Botanical Institute."

Miles seemed to parse that in his mind. "Alright then." He turned to the waiting personnel. "I'm Miles O'Brien, Chief of Operations, Deep Space 9. Yes, I'm a Senior Chief Petty Officer and you'll be answering to me, even if some of you are Ensigns. I don't rate a sir – you call me Chief O'Brien or Chief. Let's get you all squared away – come with me."

"Yes, Chief," sounded from the four somewhat raggedly.

Harry and the others watched and then turned to Major Kira. "These are the Royal Engineers, all proficient on the equipment being delivered. The King and I have designated them as the Lads – a lot more convenient in a conversation. Do you mind if I take the Lads around for a tour?"

Major Kira smiled and said, "No. But I wanted to be on hand to say," she looked at the group, "thank you. For what you're about to do for my world, thank you is small payment but you at least deserve that."

Rebecca Steilson piped up, "You're welcome. But we intend to enjoy ourselves while we're here and training up your people. So don't mention it. When will our trainees arrive?"

Major Kira replied, "You are scheduled to meet them on Bajor in three days. They'll be gathering at the Institute."

The engineers all seemed okay with that. Lars asked, "Well, we're berthing on the Glen Lyon and she can transport us up and down. So, I guess we're mostly going to be waiting."

Harry answered, "Yes. Dobby and Winky will get me situated and they'll host a meal for everyone tonight." Dobby and Winky nodded and went to check in with the proper people on the station. "Until then, come on. I'll do the tour I promised."

Major Kira said, "Commander Sisko gave me permission to host them, considering the job they'll be doing. So I'll lead the tour."

"Works for me, Major." Harry grinned, "It's always fun following you around." Major Kira turned before rolling her eyes.

Sir Harry had, in the past, complimented her on her well-formed ass. It had been done to make her embarrassed, but she hadn't risen to the bait. But since then, he occasionally teased her. She didn't mind as long as he wasn't obnoxious with it. Compared to Quark's various comments, Sir Harry's were quite tame, or at least far less offensive than Quark's occasional advances.

* * *

The Engineers were suitably impressed with the station. Harry looked at a new shop. "What's over there now?"

Major Kira glanced over. "That's a new Klingon restaurant – it was just opened. Dax has been trying to get me to come with her to try it." She added sardonically, "Somehow fresh gagh doesn't do it for me."

Harry winced. "That dish reminds me far too much of my cousin when we were both six. He once made me eat a live worm – quite slimy." Harry didn't say anything more about it.

Lars piped up with, "I've seen gagh. I'm willing to try it."

Harry looked at him. "I'll pay for the meal – as long as I don't have to eat it. Anyone who wants." Most of the Lads looked interested in the idea, though three (both female members included) didn't. Harry mused that it was a wonderful thing being young, dumb, and … he deliberately focused away from finishing that even in his own mind.

"There is someone you all should meet," Harry voiced to the group. Kira looked at him curiously and Harry nodded toward two people eating together at Quark's.

Major Kira stopped the group. "And this is our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Bashir, eating lunch with a resident of the station, Garek, who owns a tailor shop on the Promenade."

The two diners looked over. Bashir spoke. "Hello. Visitors?" he asked Kira.

She smiled and said, "They're with him," and she pointed to Harry.

"Sir Harry, welcome back."

"Master Harry."

"Thank you, Julian. Master Garek. How are you?"

"I am well," Garek answered with his normal tones. "Am I to assume that you and your retainers have returned for more than a visit?"

"Yes. I've had my holiday and now I'm back. These are several employees of the Royal Household of Britain who are helping me with a project."

Garek nodded cordially. "Welcome to Deep Space 9. I am Garek, a tailor of some small skill. I own a shop on the Promenade. Should any of you require sartorial assistance, feel free to visit." Garek looked at Harry. "And if I may ask – when would your retainers be free? A consultation would be helpful."

Harry knew that it was likely about the enchanted undergarments that Garek wore to keep himself comfortable among non-Cardassians. "I'll let them know to expect your call later tonight."

"Thank you." He looked at the others, "Have a pleasant stay."

They went on from there. Lars said, "He's an interesting character."

Harry nodded, "He's effectively an exile for some transgression against his fellow Cardassians – not blood-thirsty enough or something. Who knows? But he's a pleasant conversatioNalast if you are prepared to deal with the feeling that he's always snarky with you even when he's being his most pleasant."

Rebecca said, "He seemed to get along with Dr. Bashir. They were eating together."

Harry chuckled. "I think Master Garek was appalled at Julian's lack of guile in his normal interactions with people. He's trying to overcome what he considers an almost criminal naivety in the good doctor. They eat together, giving Garek time to corrupt … rather, teach him."

Kira volunteered, "It is fun to watch them together."

"Still … a Cardassian?" one of the other engineers commented.

Harry answered, "I actually like him. Don't trust him, of course, beyond what I do trust him with. I just remember that he's not Human and shouldn't be judged on Human norms and I'm okay."

"So you don't trust him with anything except what you trust him with? Yes. As clear as transparent aluminum, that," Rebecca commented with amusement.

Harry sighed. "When I am from the phrase was 'as clear as glass'. It's the small things like that which really proves you're somewhere, and some-when, else." Harry forcibly cheered himself up. "Okay. You've all seen the major parts of the station. So, the choice is go back to the Glen Lyon and wait for dinner, which will be at 18:00 station time – four hours off – or, you can come back and watch another movie from my Earth." Harry got a gleam in his eye. "Something a bit different than what you've already seen."

The engineers all looked at each other and then back to Harry. Rebecca, who had taken the lead in speaking for them, said, "An old-Earth movie sounds wonderful."

It took about thirty minutes but soon Harry and the eight Royal Engineers were ensconced in his "theatre" (a room in a magical tent which had his television modified to run on magical runes – something that had cost him quite a bit of money).

"What's the movie?" Lars asked.

Harry grinned, "It's called 'The Princess Bride'."

* * *

The movie and the meal were enjoyed by his guests. Harry's quarters had a Federation replicator – one he had brought back with him. None of the magical folk liked the Cardassian replicator's results, though they bore it as necessary.

Part of what had taken so long to set up that day was getting Miles to install the unit. Harry knew how much the Chief despised Cardassian replicators and had specifically brought two: One for his quarters, and one to bribe the Chief with for his silence.

It made all the difference as the elves could replicate better ingredients.

When the night was over, Harry led the group off. "Okay. Just remember that the Glen Lyon has to undock tomorrow. You'll have to make arrangements to transport over for further visits."

"Why?" Lars asked.

Harry shrugged. "This place has 24 docking ports/pads/points. Unless a ship gets deployed permanently – and the closest to that right now is the Glen Lyon – there will always be a limited time for ships to dock. They keep three runabouts on landing pads A, B, and C. The other 21 points are needed regularly."

"So we transport over?" one of them asked.

"There's only one personnel transporter – that's in Operations. The cargo holds can be used, but there has to be something that gets shut down or turned on – I don't know enough about the systems to say."

Rebecca said, "Probably pattern enhancers to help transport or scattering fields to prevent it."

Harry chuckled, "I never paid much attention, but Ops coordinates all traffic." Harry saw the group off. He had vacated so as to let Dobby and Winky clean up. He watched most of the engineers cheerfully move back to their ship. Rebecca, however, waited. Even as Harry was about to ask if she needed anything, she spoke. "You're not in any relationship, right?"

Harry shrugged, "Not at the moment."

Rebecca smiled. "Well, neither am I. And as I'm here for a good few months, I just might enjoy a little slap and tickle as my old grandmum called it. What do you say we enjoy some of our time together?" Her look was quite friendly.

Harry was taken aback. To be truthful, Rebecca Steilson was a very attractive woman. She was in her late twenties, about 5 foot 5 and had an athletic figure, reminding him of some of the girls he was attracted to when he was younger. She had classic English looks with brunette hair. Rebecca kind of reminded him of a brunette version of Ginny Weasley after she had finished Hogwarts and had played Quidditch for a bit.

Finally he said, "I might be interested, but not tonight. I just got back and I haven't made any arrangements with my retainers. How about you come over for another movie night, just you and I, and we can discuss the idea."

"Works for me," she said cheerfully. And then, instead of leaving, she stepped into Harry and gave him a good snog. Once that was finished she stepped back and said, "Are you sure you want to wait until tomorrow?"

It had been some time since he had enjoyed a woman's company. "I can ask Dobby and Winky to not disturb us."

A good time was had by all.


	4. Ups and Downs

For the next week, Harry worked with the engineers preparing the crew of Bajorans to run the reclamators using a holosuite program devised just for this. In addition to running them, they had to learn how to fix them.

Rebecca and he had some fun, but neither were interested in anything more than casual.

Finally, the day had arrived. Harry and the engineers had moved to the Glen Lyon to meet the ship. It arrived right on schedule.

"Deep Space 9. This is Tezra, out of Tellar."

"Go ahead."

"I am scheduled to meet with someone from the USS Glen Lyon."

"The Glen Lyon is standing by on frequency," it was named. "They will lead you to your delivery point at Bajor."

"Acknowledged. Thank you."

Harry had heard the interchange and listened as the crew made arrangements. He was on the shuttle which would transport the reclamators.

* * *

"Earth Shuttle Esperer to Tezra. Are you ready for us to begin?"

"Go ahead, Esperer. Part 8C is ready to offload."

"Roger. Entering bay now."

Each machine was in three parts, each one fairly heavy. The engines of the Esperer were overpowered because otherwise they couldn't handle the large pieces of equipment. The third part of each machine would unload first.

* * *

About six hours into the operation someone interrupted. "Bajor Control to Glen Lyon."

"Go ahead."

"We're reading multiple trips between Tellarite Freighter Tezra and the Bajoran surface. When we contacted them, they sent us to you."

"Correct."

"What is being delivered and where is it coming from?"

"Tezra was commissioned via the Royal Botanical Institute on Earth to deliver equipment to the Botanical Institute at Bajor. Bill of Lading, along with the delivery schedule is filed via Major Kira Nerys at Deep Space 9."

"Acknowledged."

Harry looked at his copilot, one of the engineers, who looked back at him and shrugged.

* * *

The piloting was passed back and forth a few times and at three quarters an hour per piece with 24 pieces needing delivered, it took eighteen hours total to deliver, the last pieces being delivered in the dark.

Harry was sitting with Keiko O'Brien, who was consulting, during the final trips. "What will happen tomorrow?" Harry asked.

Keiko replied, "I'm scheduled to assist in teaching the Bajoran reclamators operators how to load organic material for the process."

Harry was confused. "Organic material?"

Keiko smiled. "Soil is a combination of sand, clay, and organic material, with different combinations for different areas and crops, and different additives to change the acidity as required. The reclamators will remove every trace of contaminant but each batch will require remediation before putting it back down. To keep it running quickly, it has to be watched and handled constantly. Most of the poisons can be found in the organic material – which means that is the main portion that has to be remediated. How to gauge amounts and adding them quickly will be what I will be teaching."

Harry considered that. "So the process will not only remove the poisons but will renew the normal nutrition."

"For each area," Keiko added. "Some of the areas will need to have worms added and you can't add the wrong worms for the wrong areas."

Harry said, "That's all beyond me. You know far more about it than I. How have classes been?"

Keiko smiled. "I wanted to thank you for your help. Since Vedek Winn's attempt to interfere, I've taken the approach you took: Talk to the religious people about the religious aspect if you have any questions. Despite attempts, no one has been able to claim I am denigrating Bajoran beliefs."

Harry grimaced. "Back on Earth, in the twentieth century, there were different religions in different parts of the world. Most viewed the scientific explanation of history to be blasphemous. Teachers had to walk a fine line. Compared to some religious nuts we used to have, the Bajorans are reasonable and accepting, even some of the worst ones."

Keiko considered that. "It's hard to believe."

"That's why the Federation is so anti-religion, I think. People used their 'right to practice their faith' to force educational institutions to teach belief systems based on religious texts rather than science. I think the Federation took it too far – freedom to practice religion has become freedom to not be confronted by others practicing their religion. But then again, Starfleet vessels have to be able to deal with whatever beliefs they run into and allowing public demonstrations of faith by their crew might offend someone they're meeting."

Keiko was curious. "Do you believe in a god or gods?"

Harry smirked. "I could dodge the bullet and say 'I'm agnostic'. That's how most people avoided that minefield where I'm from."

"_Are_ you Agnostic?" Keiko asked.

Harry chuckled. "No. I believe there is a Creator, Prime Mover Unmoved, Supreme Being, God … however you want to define it."

"So how do you pray?" she asked curiously.

Harry looked at her. "Why would I pray?"

"If you believe in God, doesn't that usually mean prayer is involved?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, no. That was something that I always had a problem with back home. If God was all powerful, and God's will was absolute, prayer is actually pointless. If God wants you to die, you die. There's a saying: God helps those who help themselves. I acknowledge that God exists, I just don't think that prayer has any affect on him/her or will get you anything. All good and evil and everything between comes from God. You're not changing God's mind by begging."

"How about rituals, or services?"

Harry shrugged. "If that allows you to feel closer to God, great. But rituals for me have to do with magic, not divinity. A religious ritual has to have some value to those participating, I just don't know what it could be when it comes to what Humans consider God. I may pray for strength – but I don't think it's God that will give it; it will be me or those close to me."

"What about the Bajorans?" Keiko asked. "They pray to the Prophets. Do you think they are performing unnecessary ritual in doing so?"

"The Prophets exist. I've actually _met_ the Bajoran so-called Gods and they acknowledge Bajor, and their connection to it. *I* think that the beings in the wormhole have a symbiotic relationship with Bajor. So I would never question the Bajorans' right to practice their faith, for far more tangible reasons than I would accord anyone practicing recognized Human faiths."

* * *

Over the next days, the Royal Engineers finished assembly and began to run the Bajorans through how to work and maintain the Reclamators. The Esperer, the shuttle attached to the large machines, was powerful enough to move a fully assembled machine, but not to get it into orbit.

Two Bajoran shuttles were attached to the fleet to fly the refuse off. Currently, there was a processing/storage facility. It wasn't something that the head of the Institute wanted to deal with. The Bajorans already head a plan for it and they were perfectly willing to leave it to the Bajoran government.

The Institute staff started having to deal with the idiots who wanted to stick their nose in to the process. There was one Minister in particular, Minister Jaro, which reminded Harry of a cross between Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy. If Luna was on Bajor writing the Quibbler, Jaro would be the one eating pies made out his enemies.

Even as the reclamators began being sent out, there was rumor and innuendo which caused people to question it.

However, there could be no denying that within two weeks, 60 square kilometers of farmland had been cleaned and there was clamoring by communities lower on the list to get moved up.

* * *

Three weeks in, there was attempted sabotage. Someone had attempted to damage two of the machines and graffiti was painted on two more. Harry agreed to meet the member of the Bajoran Militia being ordered to handle matters.

The man, along with subordinates, arrive at the Botanical Institute. "Hello. I am here to speak to a Sir Harry Potter." Harry stood up. The man nodded respectfully. "I am General Krim, of the Bajoran Militia."

Harry bowed. "I am Sir Harry Potter of Great Britain, Earth."

The man looked at him curiously. "You don't identify as Federation?"

Harry smiled. "I am certain that you were briefed on me when you were assigned to this matter."

The man gave a slight smile. "Yes. I have some understanding of your origin. You came via the Celestial Temple. The Prophets themselves sent you with Commander Sisko." His wry tone made it obvious that he was uninterested in the religious aspect.

"I came from an alternate Earth. But Charles VIII Hereditary King of Great Britain on Earth has made me a part of the Royal Household, giving me diplomatic status, also validating my status as Sir Harry Potter rather than Mr. Harry Potter."

"Interesting," Krim said in a way that said that he wasn't actually interested. "I have been sent in response to the attempts against the equipment being loaned out by the Botanical Institute."

"Of course."

Krim spoke carefully. "It was suggested by the Council of Ministers that we ask you and the Botanical Institute to suspend operations until we could guarantee the safety of those doing the work."

Harry nodded – he had heard that. "And your response?"

Krim paused. "I find that I wish instead to add members of the militia to guard the equipment and the workers, both Bajoran and not. Despite the strain such an order would create. I know exactly how much has been done with the equipment and I am aware how much the progress has upset those who wish to use the damage created when the Cardassians left as political fodder. It is not in Bajor's best interest – in my opinion – to ask operations be suspended."

Harry was actually a little surprised. "How do you wish to handle matters?"

"Who is coordinating operations?" Krim asked.

Harry hit his comm badge and called the highest ranked Bajoran of the Institute. "She will be back in twenty minutes."

Krim nodded. "Thank you for facilitating matters. It is curious that I was sent to you rather than the Director to deal with this."

Harry sighed. "I am the one who convinced King Charles to send the reclamators that had been used to clean up much of the English countryside following World War III on Earth. I have an interest in seeing Bajor healthy."

"What kind of interest – if I may ask?"

Harry sighed. "I have economic interest in certain groups of Bajorans. They are contracted to grow ingredients and also to produce a product otherwise unavailable to me. I am making a profit because I provided the resources, and the Bajorans are making a profit by doing the work. That relationship, among others, made me interested in seeing Bajor and its people thrive. Charles was interested in using my resources to help Britain recover and in exchange I am using Charles' resources to help Bajor, and my interests both short term and long."

"And what long term interests do you have?"

Harry considered how to answer that. "Bajor is … there is a magical aspect, if you will, due to the Prophets and their connection with Bajor. My Earth had a similar connection – possibly because it is or was connected to the Celestial Temple as well – and so I wish to see that connection nurtured."

"You don't find our religious practices primitive and limiting?" Krim asked with a slightly mocking tone.

Harry snorted. "I've met the Prophets, spoken to them. No. I don't find anything about Bajor primitive. Considering that Bajor has had civilization for at least a half a million years, I would say that most civilizations in the galaxy could be considered primitive by comparison."

Krim looked at Harry with an inscrutable look. "You are quite different than most Federation Humans I have met."

"I'm a Wizard, and a Knight of the Thistle. That aspect is more important than my status in the Federation."

"I see." Krim stood up. "I see the Director coming." Harry saw the transport through the window as well. "It has been a pleasure speaking to you."

"I feel the same. You remind me of one of the better Law Enforcement officials from birth society. She was head of Law Enforcement when corrupt officials were trying to quiet me by any means necessary because what I was testifying to was inconvenient. She stood up for the rule of law."

Krim asked, "What was her name?"

Harry sighed. "Amelia Bones."

Krim nodded in acknowledgement and then asked, as though he knew the answer, "What happened to her?"

"She died for the most unforgivable crime a law enforcement member can commit."

"Which is?" Krim asked.

"Being incorruptible, which got in the way of the plans of those of a lesser moral fiber." Harry's tone was grim.

Krim had a tone of sardonic amusement as he said, "I can think of worse crimes to die for. Good day, Sir Harry Potter of Earth."

* * *

Harry didn't spend all of his time with the reclamator project. He left that to the Royal Engineers and the Botanical Institute. Within five weeks, 160 square kilometers had been completed. The smaller reclamators had been diverted to the smaller plots of land that the British machines were too big to process.

Harry had noticed an almost frenetic quality to those agitating against non-Bajorans. The success of the project, he guessed, was interfering with some political ploy in the background and someone wasn't happy.

Anti-Federation sentiment, normally so commonplace so as to be considered 'normal' became less popular as the work continued. Harry thought it ironic as the Federation wasn't directly involved; it was Earth and even Britain. Harry, however, had decided against making a loud protest about the 'Federation' getting credit.

* * *

Heavily fundamentalist/Conservative Bajorans had to double down on the rhetoric to stir up animosity. Harry put in a call to King Charles.

"Majesty. Anti-Bajoran sentiment is building up and I worry about the Royal Engineers," Harry reported grimly.

Charles looked surprised. "How? They are there to help Bajor and her people. Commander? Can you explain this?"

Harry turned to Sisko who, with Major Kira, was also present. "No. Some force in the background is stirring bigotry against the Federation and all non-Bajorans."

Major Kira interjected, "Sir. The vast majority of Bajor views the work your people have done and are doing as vital, wanted, and not to be prevented. We are grateful to you, and them, for stepping up to handle what many had said would take years to do. Already, hundreds … thousands of farmers are planting into ground previously too poisoned to use. I, along with other members of the Bajoran Militia, decry the negative propaganda against your people specifically and the Humans as a whole."

Kira was sincere and it was obvious. "Major Kira, thank you. While I admire the Bajoran Militia and the efforts it is expending, I believe the Provisional Government itself has been non-committal and hesitant against stamping out this threat to the good work my people are doing. If you would pass along my statement of concern, I would appreciate it. I am dispatching my son, Prince William, to look over the operations and our Engineers' work."

"I will do that, Sir."

Charles nodded. He looked at Harry. "Sir Harry, I am putting you in charge of William's safety."

"By your command, Sire," Harry said and then bowed low.

King Charles rolled his eyes and said, "You could have said, 'I'll take care of it,' and left it at that. It would have been enough."

"Blame my primitive upbringing, Your Majesty," Harry said with dry humor.

"Of course. Until your next report. New Buckingham, Out."

Harry turned to Sisko, who looked thoughtful. "Do I need to remind you about how seriously I take the protection of the Royal Family?"

"No, Sir Harry," Sisko said. "I remember."

"Good." Harry turned and left.

Sisko looked at Kira. "We are going to be making damn certain nothing threatens Prince William when he arrives. Do you remember what happened when the elves were kidnapped?"

Kira's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of that. "Yes, Commander. I'll coordinate with Odo."

"Good. Dismissed."


	5. The Royal Review

Bajor was four days from Earth at high warp. By chance, it was the US Sutherland which would arrive carrying Prince William. That ship was captained by someone who was a proud Scotsman – Harry was comfortable trusting Captain Forrester, a descendant of members of the Black Watch.

Harry immediately contacted someone else. "General Krim."

"Sir Harry Potter. How may I help you?" the man asked sardonically. Harry suspected that was his default tone.

"I have a very important person arriving in a few days to check over operations in response to what has been occurring. I need to ensure their safety."

"And the name of this important person?"

"Prince William Windsor, Heir to the Hereditary Throne of Great Britain. His father is Charles VIII, the man that holds my oath."

Krim nodded thoughtfully. "I see. What plans does this Prince William have?"

Harry sighed. "Prince William is answering for King Charles' concerns for his people, who are helping to ensure that the reclamators stay running and successful. Everything they are doing is in Bajor's interest and yet anti-Bajoran sentiment causes people to target them. How can cleaning the soil of Bajor from the poisons left by the Cardassians be detrimental to Bajor or Bajorans? Prince William will be inspecting and then will wish to speak to the Provisional Government once he has determined the proper course."

Krim nodded grimly. "And you need …."

"I will need members of the Bajoran Militia who will _not_ collude with anyone to allow 'mistakes' to slip through. My interest is Prince William's safety is absolute and I will act with up to and including deadly force if he is threatened, even if it's an 'accident'."

Krim gave him a piercing look. "Are you making a threat?"

"No, General. I respect you too much. I am making a plea: Do not allow circumstances to require me to act. Please. If you have any question as to how serious I am, please talk to the Emissary about how far I will go. Ask him what being a Knight of the Thistle means."

Krim gave him another long look. "Very well. I will begin to make arrangements and I will contact Commander Sisko to answer questions I have."

"Thank you."

"Krim, Out."

* * *

Over the next days, Harry did as much as he could to make certain that everything would be safe. The Royal Engineers were pushed to make certain that everything they had to do was completed and the Bajorans who were doing maintenance could handle normal operations.

Harry was curious about something and made time to see the head of the Institute. "Dr. Redro. Can you explain something?"

The Bajoran woman who headed the Botanical Institute looked at him with interest. "If I can."

"Why was the poisoning of these 350 Kilometers so devastating? It's a small area of farmland, really, when compared to how much farmland is on Bajor as a whole."

Redro Urjea nodded and considered how to answer. "You're right. It's not a significant percentage of land. However, these particular sections of land were responsible for feeding large numbers of Bajorans. The grain produced was also used to feed large herds of Tirak, as well as providing a portion of material reprocessed as fertilizer for other crops. The particular areas poisoned caused another 3000 square kilometers of farmland to drop in productivity. We've worked on decentralizing the grain production – but the lands that we're recovering are particularly suited to feed a major portion of Bajor. The people who own these lands also have a high level of influence – which of course makes the government pay more attention."

Harry didn't understand everything, but it sounded significant. He could see how suddenly losing that much land could provoke a crisis, even if it wasn't so much that it caused famine.

By the time William arrived, Sixty percent of the reclamation was completed – 210 Square Kilometers. The remaining 140 would take longer because the smaller pieces were what was left. But the Engineers could return to Earth a few weeks ahead of schedule if things were handled properly.

* * *

Harry was present when the USS Sutherland docked. Commander Sisko was also present with his entire command staff in dress uniform.

Captain Forrester had security personnel enter first to make certain it was safe (Harry nodded approvingly to himself) and then the Prince entered the station.

Sisko let Harry lead. "Your Royal Highness, Welcome to Deep Space 9." Harry gave a half bow.

"Thank you, Sir Harry. You do know that bowing went out of style centuries ago, right?" William asked with humor.

Harry gave a small smile, "As I told your Royal father: Blame it on my primitive upbringing. Highness, let me introduce Commander Benjamin Sisko, Commander of Deep Space 9 for Starfleet and the Emissary of the Prophets for the Bajorans. Commander, may I introduce Prince William Windsor of the Royal House of Great Britain, Heir to the Hereditary Throne of Great Britain."

Sisko shook William's hand. "He could have just said 'This is Commander Sisko of Deep Space 9'."

William gave a small grin. "Sir Harry grew up at a time where Royal protocol was more important, and widespread. It is a form of respect, so we have nothing to complain about. My father said: Let him act as he sees fit. It's less of a headache that way."

Sisko looked at Harry, who took the gentle gibe with amusement. "Possibly. Anyway: This is my command staff." He introduced the others.

William greeted them all cordially. He then turned and said, "Captain Forrester, you have my thanks and the thanks of my father. You can rest easy now that I am in the hands of Sir Harry and the command staff here."

Forrester shrugged. "I'll be waiting in system until you go back. I might as well give my crew some time for shore leave."

William rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me. I'll likely see them hanging around where I'll be, watching everyone around me."

Forrester protested, "I can't control what my crew does off duty."

Harry piped up, "Yeah. He can't control what his crew does while off duty as long as it violates no local laws or regulations, right?"

Odo volunteered, "No weapons on the station except for station security personnel. But we will keep an eye out to ensure that no one interferes or attacks our guests, no matter their status."

Harry pulled out an item. "If you would put this on?" He handed William the item.

It was a gold bracelet, the standard of House Windsor engraved into it. "What purpose does this have?"

Harry watched with satisfaction as William finished putting the clasp on. "It provides the magical equivalent of a scattering field to prevent transporters locking on to you. You can disable it by pressing your coat of arms with your opposing thumb, which will disable the field for 30 seconds. It also has a magical tracking charm in case someone attempts to kidnap you. My elves and I can find you if we are within a certain distance. You can take it off – but only you. It is otherwise unbreakable."

William's eyebrow rose. "Any other feature?"

Harry thought about it. "Oh! It will get warm if something poisonous gets close by – I assume you use this hand to eat with."

"Yes. Anything else?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It provides some protection against spells, but I don't know if that has any bearing on phasers or disruptors – probably not and I'd rather not test it. But with no Wizards or Witches around other than me, and with me and my elves being loyal to the Royal Family, it really has no true bearing in this dimension."

William considered that all. "What if I'm unconscious and I need to be beamed out as an emergency measure?"

Harry paused. "Let me think about that. There is an emergency portkey charm possible. A portkey is a device to move someone. That can be set to be activated when the wearer goes unconscious due to poison or trauma. But there's no base here to direct it to."

Forrester, who had been listening, asked, "What's the range on this portkey charm?"

Harry shrugged. "In testing it during our trip to the Klingon Homeworld, Dax and I didn't test it between the surface of a planet and a ship in space. A portkey can travel thousands of kilometers but it isn't pleasant. The trouble is I don't know if someone moves through the air or through subspace during the trip. I do know there is a definitely sense of movement, unlike a transporter. You feel the entire distance but it does seem shorter."

"Does it have to be a person that is moved this way?" Sisko asked.

"Yes," Harry said with regret. "You can't just portkey supplies without a live person traveling with them in some way. Such a thing wasn't developed because the Goblins would have gone to war to stop wizards from having such a system. When we did test on, testing it between a planet and a ship would have to put someone at risk – something I wasn't willing to do."

"I see," Sisko said.

William was curious, "Why would there have been a war for making such a magic spell?"

Harry snorted. "The Goblins were our bankers. There would have been far too many ways to abuse it in trying to commit robbery at their bank. It's like the Federation and the Romulans about cloaking devices. Would the Federation actually use it against the Romulans? Probably not. But the Romulans don't like the idea of it even being possible. Thus that treaty."

The Federation officers didn't like being reminded of that treaty – it had been stopping them for over fifty years.

Harry didn't inform anyone that he had been working on a rune system which would make a ship effectively cloaked. Since he had gotten his texts into a computer, he had been working on a modified unplottability ward which should be effective. Having computers with the processing power to do the heavy probability math sped things quite a lot.

The trouble, he found, wasn't installing a ward. The trouble was how to make it able to turn on and off without a complex set of spells or rituals. But it wasn't something he wanted to talk about with anyone until he got his ship.

William peered at the bracelet. "I will wear it. Worst cast scenario, I will have to be saved by you."

"Or my elves. During your visit, Dobby is on call for you. If you need _anything_, call out to him," Harry said.

William's eyes lit – he liked the elves. "Thank you."

Harry chuckled. "Don't thank me, thank him."

"I will."

Sisko asked, "Would you like a tour, to be shown to quarters or would you like to get to work on what you are here for?"

William became more serious. "While I will want a tour of the station, it is likely best that I sit down with Sir Harry and anyone else he thinks required to determine what steps I will need to take."

Captain Forrester was left with Sisko and Major Kira, the rest of the command staff went back to duty, and Harry led William to his own quarters. Dobby was called and tea would be waiting. Two security officers followed Harry and William – Harry had vetted who would be allowed to watch the Prince from his own time in security.

Harry and William had a long discussion while Winky and Dobby served tea and then a meal.

* * *

The next morning William would visit the Botanical Institute and see the work that was already done.

Dobby made certain that Prince William's quarters (right next to Harry's by special dispensation) were completely prepared after Odo, Harry, and Dobby all checked to make certain they were safe. Harry had also put wards up.

His wards had been tested against Aliens by setting them up and then starting a rumor about riches to be had for the taking. Anyone intending harm, even those who were normally considered Psi-Null or unreadable, ended up not being able to find the quarters or being distracted. Different races reacted to different wards.

That was one of the main reasons he needed to test his planned wards for his future ship. A sufficiently diverse crew theoretically might be able to overcome together what a ship with only one race could not. It was annoying that there were races seemed to be affected by magic differently. How the computers of others ships might register ships under such wards would also be a factor. It was a minor concern but a concern nonetheless.

The Sutherland had arrived mid-afternoon local time and William wanted to get on local time quickly. As such after dinner he asked, "What is there to do around here?"

Harry considered it. "Well, there are games at Quarks, we can see if there is a holosuite free, or you can have an early night." Harry thought of something. "You could stay in and see a film from my World."

"How many do you have?" William asked curiously.

"Thousands. Of all types. This world was far more limited because consumer entertainment technology stopped progressing about 1990 or so. That was when things started to get really diverse in my timeline. And even in the time between WWII and the Eugenics Wars were far more limited here because governments were much more intensive on hidden research. This got us out into space, but my timeline didn't make it far and was far more limited. I'd be surprised if they made it into space by 2050 or even 2100."

William considered it. "Okay. A movie night sounds pleasant. What film?"

Harry laughed. "I'll call up a list."

William was shown the list and, as expected, it was far too much to really parse out. However, a film showing comedy and religion settled on something called 'Dogma'. Harry had never seen it either, but confirmed it was in his database.

Harry called and invited the command staff and Captain Forrester and his first officer.

Winky provided popcorn and the movie started in Harry's film room in his tent.

Right at the beginning, Nerys had a question. "What's a platypus?"

Harry looked around. "I've heard the name. Anyone know details?"

Only Keiko, who was there with Miles (Molly was with Jake as this was rated for adults), knew the answer. "It's a strange animal that lived on Earth until the radiation of World War III killed it off. It laid eggs, had a bill like a large bird, was venomous, and lived in the water."

"Why is that so strange?" Julian asked.

"Because it was furred and was a mammal."

"No!" Julian said. "That seems … impossible?"

Harry paused the film and flipped through his computer records. Finally he called up a picture and showed it on the large screen. Everyone, even Keiko, was shocked. (Keiko had heard about it but never seen it.)

Harry had never seen a picture either. "That is strange enough to be magical but it wasn't in any book I ever read."

Sisko asked, "So you'd never seen it either?"

"No. I heard about it, heard about it being strange, but it was unimportant to me." Harry shook his head. "It is funny looking though."

William said, "That it is. Can we go back to this movie then?"

Harry started the film over.

The film was amusing but Harry had to explain several things about Earth culture from the time period. The religious aspect of abortion was hard for some to understand, though Major Kira understood right away. Abortion was frowned upon on Bajor – heavily.

The Federation recognized the many different cultures and their beliefs. It was a matter of extremely strict privacy and no one, _no one_, could change that. It helped that contraception was extremely easy, incest was extremely rare, rape was also very rare (within Federation society), and many races needed medical intervention to breed together. Threats to the mother's health due to pregnancy were usually easily handled by the medical procedures of the twenty-fourth century.

All of this contributed to making abortion an extremely rare procedure.

Harry had to look up Wisconsin. All agreed that it sounded quite … boring.

What freaked Harry out the worst was the similarity of one actor to his old Potion's professor – attitude and all. He tried to put that out of his mind.

Still, it was a success and everyone was a bit sad when it was over.

* * *

Early the next morning, Harry and William went to the Sutherland. They were using one of the shuttles to inspect land that had been cleaned. Harry, who was given permission to pilot, landed and William spoke to several farmers who were now working the cleaned farms.

Most of these were extremely friendly, though there were one or two who seemed to express a covert hostility in their manner. Not that covert actually, Harry mused as he recognized the emotion. Perhaps it was better described as suppressed hatred and hostility.

Jado, Harry realized, had a true covert hostility. He acted friendly and proper but one could feel the hatred he was hiding behind his politician's mask. Harry warned William about the man when they were outside of the hearing of the security officers and the other pilot that was with them.

After being flown back to the ship, they transported to the Institute. The Sutherland's scanners verified that William's bracelet prevented transport. However, a pattern enhancer set _might_, the transporter chief emphasized might, be able to overcome it.

William was inspecting one of the reclamators that was being serviced under the watch of one of the Lads. "How much time do they spend being fixed?"

Engineer Samuel Cordon smiled and said, "It's not about being fixed, Highness." Highness, for some reason, could be used casually and no one blinked. Harry had always been curious about why. "It's about proper maintenance so they don't _have_ to be fixed. The residue has been corroding the holding tanks these machines have, so we added a coating, which unfortunately has to be re-applied regularly. We could have replaced them, but other than the one aspect the holding tanks are perfect. Making new ones with materials that wouldn't react would cost too much time and energy. All it means is that they have to be cleaned and coated regularly and it's not a problem."

"What's with the open panels?" he asked, looking at where two Bajorans were inspecting an exposed circuit.

"Training. The machine is down, there's no reason the local engineers can't use the time to learn these types of circuits. Federation is a little different than Bajoran and the experience is valuable."

The pair (plus security) visited a machine in use – it was an awesome sight. Three Bajorans were working the machines and one of the Lads was supervising. They moved to another machine.

As they were watching, however, something went "poof" and an explosion occurred. William said, "We need to get there, Sir Harry."

"No," Harry said with certainty. He hit his badge. "Potter to Sutherland. Emergency. Beam William Windsor back _now_." He looked at William. "Hit your bracelet."

The prince reluctantly did as requested and once Harry knew he and his security was safely gone Harry apparated to the location of the explosion.


	6. Royal Admonishment

Harry immediately cast a flame-freezing charm and other spells.

Some of them reacted with the electronics but didn't cause further explosions. When he was certain it the emergency aspect was done he turned and saw, to his horror, that the wounded and unconscious Royal Engineer was Rebecca Steilson, his friend and lover. He hit his badge. "Potter to Glen Lyon." The Glen Lyon was the ship monitoring Institute operations. "Emergency beam out for all personnel around me."

"We're two minute out."

He looked at the injured. "Bajorans are wounded but not critical." He hit the badge again. "Potter to Sutherland. Scan for downed Human near my position and beam to your sickbay!"

"Can you put your badge on the patient?"

Harry quickly took his badge off and slapped it on Rebecca. "Now!" She disappeared and in about fifteen seconds another Starfleet personnel appeared.

"I'm here because there are no other comm badges to communicate – Captain Forrester ordered me down. The other crew member is too far away." Harry had left the other security officer on the shuttle.

Harry nodded. "Thank him for me when there is a chance." He looked around. "Once we get the wounded out, the Glen Lyon will need to send down a team to find out what happened. The other Royal Engineers would be the best option."

* * *

Harry was transported up even as the Glen Lyon was transporting crew members down. The Botanical Institute was also alerted.

Harry went immediately to Sickbay. When he arrived, a doctor and a nurse were working feverishly on Rebecca. William was also there. "What's going on?" Harry asked quietly.

William's expression was hard. "Your quick action likely saved her life. She was bleeding heavily internally. She's also lost a hand – she will have to be fitted for a replacement."

Harry winced. "Won't that interfere with her abilities as an engineer?"

William replied, "Our medical sciences are quite advanced with such things. She will have to return to Earth for the best treatment – the Sutherland doesn't have the advanced treatments available there. They can, however, seal it properly so as to minimize deterioration."

The two watched for a few minutes. Rebecca's readings were stabilizing. Harry finally sighed. "We should go. She appears to be out of the woods and we really should find out what happened."

"I agree," William said grimly. "I think it's time for the Royal bastard to come out and play."

Harry gave a thin smile. "I'd like to see that."

* * *

The Sutherland and the Glen Lyon quickly determined that the damage was created by sabotage. How it was triggered was being determined – it was necessary to find out because no one could ensure the Bajorans on scene were innocent until they knew.

There was another complication. On board the Sutherland, while waiting for a report William was given a message. "Highness. We've been contacted by Deep Space 9." William looked at Captain Forrester. "A representative has arrived at Deep Space 9 and wishes to greet you officially on behalf of his government."

Harry had a bad feeling even as William asked, "Who is it and who are they representing?"

"Gul Dukat of the Cardassian Empire," Forrester said with a serious tone.

Harry started muttering sulfurously. William said, "Sir Harry? Is there something I should know?"

Harry suddenly realized where he was. "Er. Sorry, Highness. I have some past experience with Gul Dukat, or at least his shenanigans."

"Explain."

Harry did so, explaining why he could not respond officially. Forrester showed a bit of shock when Harry described how he and his elves had invaded and defeated a cloaked Bird of Prey that Gul Dukat had set them on him, wanting his elves. It was something Harry still smarted about.

William said, "I will have to ignore that officially, as you had to. His past position as Prefect of Bajor makes him an unpleasant thorn for both the Federation and Bajor." Harry truly wanted to protest, but his oath given to Queen Elizabeth compelled him to follow the Royal Heir. Only Charles could outvote William's word.

He hadn't known what how much of a chain he would take on when he had accepted his Knighthood. Harry learned that there were reasons Magicals had gotten away from giving an oath to the King. His loyalty was magically enforced.

It was only by sheer chance that neither Queen Elizabeth nor King Charles were interested in controlling him more fully. William, thank Merlin, seemed to follow his father's inclinations.

William thought about the report of the Cardassian waiting. "Inform Deep Space 9 that I am currently engaged in important matters and will not be available to meet with the Cardassian Representative for at least two days. And then have Commander Sisko emphasize my family's traditional vs. legal status as regards the Earth government. Suggest a more appropriate representative would be civilian, perhaps from the Detapa Council."

Forrester nodded. "Yes, Highness."

* * *

It took a day but the findings had been put together. William and Harry visited Rebecca, who was awake but recovering. Harry spoke, "I'm so sorry you have to go through this."

Rebecca was in decent humor. "I'm like Anakin and Luke Skywalker. I'll be okay once it gets replaced."

Harry chuckled at that – he had ignored that part of the films. "You'll be going back to Earth without a proper send off from me."

Rebecca gave him a friendly smile. "Neither one of us was expressing undying love, Harry. We both were having fun – quite a lot of fun – but we're no each other's one and only. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked.

Harry sighed. "I know. But it still is depressing."

"I know." Rebecca then gave a short laugh. "I might have to find someone with a different shaped tongue – you'll be hard to replace when it comes to certain activities."

Harry grinned, though it was small. "One advantage of that I learned years after I found I had that skill."

"I'll think fondly of you in the future when I daydream," she said with a cheeky smile.

"Good." He looked back and said, "William is waiting for me to finish. We're about to go speak to the Council of Ministers privately. With tensions high and with Gul Dukat or some other idiot waiting for an official greeting back on Deep Space 9, we can't broadcast what happened far and wide. But William is going to put his Royal boot up a few arses."

"Tell him to give them hell for me."

"I will."

Harry briefly kissed her and then went to William. "Your Highness, I believe you have a message from your Royal Father for the Council of Ministers?"

William smirked. "I do, Sir Harry. You, of course, will be there to ensure I am under the protection of a true knight."

"It will be an honor, Your Highness." Harry bowed.

* * *

Later that day, Harry followed Prince William Windsor of Great Britain on Earth. Both were wearing formal garb. Harry was formal battle robes with all awards and medals on display.

The formal greetings were tedious and detailed. Finally William asked, "I formally request the next portion become private as I wish to discuss matters my father deemed necessary to report to the Council of Ministers alone. Can this be accomplished?"

Minister Jaro magnanimously approved it for the entire council and even ordered the recorders to stop. He then looked at William.

William turned, "Sir Harry?"

"Of course, Highness."

To the shock of the Council, Harry retrieved a wand and cast numerous spells. Some had obvious effects – two windows closed – and others were not so obvious. He then nodded to William and stepped back to his shoulder.

"What was that, Prince William?" Jano asked.

"Sir Harry was making certain my comments are private." He looked at Harry. "And are we now private?"

"Only the Prophets themselves could listen in, Highness," Harry said with complete certainty.

"Good." He turned back to the Council. "Now we need to speak of the matter of sabotage against my people."

William then lit into everyone there, informing them how badly he and his father would react should anything similar happen again. He included pulling all funding from Earth for the Botanical Institute and removing all seeds that were not Bajoran.

Without waiting for them to reply (they were shocked at William's intense emotions) he then nodded to Harry who quickly removed the pricacy charms. "I thank the Council of Ministers," William said in his most friendly tone, "for the opportunity to discuss the accident privately. I am aware how important your time is to the care of your people and so I and Sir Harry will withdraw to allow you to properly manage your people and its recovery. Thank you."

William then turned and left, Harry followed behind. When they were outside Harry asked quietly, "Wasn't that a bit rude at the end?"

William gave a small smile, "Yes. If you noticed, they likely did as well."

Harry chuckled quietly, "I'm certain they did." He looked around. "Ready to go?"

"Yes."

Harry did something he rarely: He disapparated, holding William's shoulder to side-along him. They disappeared from the hall (shielded from transporters) and appeared in the Institute. Harry hit his badge. "Two to beam up." William hit his bracelet to allow it to happen.

The Bajoran Militia members on duty had seen the two Humans move into a passageway and then not reappear on the other side. It caused a bit of upset when no one could explain it. Even sensors had not detected any transporter effects.

William was curious. "The bracelet prevents me from being transported but you can take me with you own magic?"

Harry nodded. "I set the charms and made certain I or the elves could move you as necessary. The scattering field was a product of what we learned when we arrived into this timeline – the elves and I actually feel the transporter and, if we choose, can fight it. It took little tinkering to recreate that effect. Scanners read it as a scattering field, so that's what we called it rather than an anti-transport ward."

William sent a message for the Sutherland to return to DS9 and then turned back to Harry. "So you can set a 'flavor' if you will of energy which can be omitted from the ward?"

"Yes," Harry replied. "It's called keying someone in."

"Are transporters the same between ships or do they use unique energy signals?"

Harry was about to answer when he stopped. After some thought he said, "There should be no way to key in a particular ship. But then again, magic defies rationality. Possibly there's a way to 'tune' a transporter to a particular frequency and then set the anti-transport field to be immune or susceptible to that frequency. I'd have to talk to Miles and a few other engineers."

William nodded. "Something to research. For the moment, I can take my bracelet off." William paused. "What about my father? Our families? I kind of like the inability to be transported without permission for children."

Harry sighed. "Give me two days and let me see what I can put together."

* * *

It didn't take two days. It took a few hours.

Harry's magical database came up with family rings, something older families still used.

Harry contacted Miles. "How can I help, Sir Harry?"

Harry motioned to the replicator. "From what I understand, this ties in to a store of matter, right?"

"Yes."

"Is there any way to retarget the source location?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Miles asked curiously.

"I want to make some items but they can't have quantum errors. From what I've been told, that requires matter made from that material – that is particularly true for dense elements."

"Right."

"So, I want to make items made from gold, but I want to provide the gold as source material. I figure I made certain that I provide more gold than I need and I won't have any troubles due to entropy."

Miles considered that. "We can probably do it. We'd have to sacrifice some transport enhancers to target a particular area."

"Will the Sutherland or the Glen Lyon have those?"

Miles waved him off. "I've got several, and I'm willing to provide them. They're the kind of thing that the Quartermaster department expects to have to provide regularly. You've helped us with supplies from Utopia Planetia – I'd say you're due."

Miles was shocked when the source location was a trunk. But with a bit of effort, it worked. Harry took a kilo of raw gold and, using it as the "source", he crafted a ring for the Head of House ring for Windsor, an Heir's ring with the crest of Wales, and twelve family rings.

The required runes were programmed directly in by the replicator. Harry then showed William how to get his father to key in the Head of House ring and family rings.

In addition, Harry made a Portkey Beacon. On a stone carved with wards, to be placed in the basement of New Buckingham, wards were included to allow family rings to be triggered by a codeword (Sanctorium) to move the wearer to New Buckingham. The family member had to be on Earth, but it would work from anywhere on Earth.

The ward stone was also "replicated" – the Federation replicator, with a hunk of raw marble as source, constituted a ward stone. It took an hour and enough energy to make it. The resulting ward stone, however, was without flaws. It was without incursions, with runes perfectly placed and shaped. A simple procedure to bind it by blood and it would be active.

Harry could only do a stone one foot cubed because that was the limits of the replicator, but Harry had high hopes for using it to create wards for ships. His ancestors could probably have never envisioned being able to "make" a stone, or "make" a ring without magic.

Harry kept the process to himself – it had far too many possible effects to become well known.

A replicator could re-order matter, but if it had the same matter with the correct molecular structure, it didn't have to re-order anything. It could just use the matter as it originally was. Normally, this was done on a limited basis because replicators were tied in to a bunch of matter stored for that purpose. Harry's replicator had to be tied in manually. It was in that particular process that Harry had taken advantage. The manual subroutine had been directed to a trunk which Federation technology read as a subspace field but which was an expanded space.

It was, Harry decided, distinctly odd.

Still, before William was scheduled to leave the system with his Engineers, the rings had been made as hard a ward stone. He was sending them back with William but Harry would make sure they were properly keyed in when he next visited Earth.

With Major Kira's assistance, William dodged a number of calls from Bajor once it was determined that it was mostly Ministers being pissy.

* * *

Gul Dukat returned without a member of the Detapa Council. William decided to meet him at Quark's. Sisko was nearby, as was Kira Nerys.

The confident Cardassian leader arrived at Quarks. Sisko, in a chair, spoke. "Gul Dukat. I see you've returned."

"I have. Is the Human Prince now available?"

Sisko motioned. "I do believe that is Prince William Windsor, right there, along with Sir Harry Potter."

"Another man I have longed to meet."

"Feel free." Sisko sat down.

Dukat asked, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Sisko shrugged. "Despite their diplomatic status, they are not 'holding court' as it were. If this was an official meeting, you would have brought a member of the civilian government." Sisko looked around. "Is there someone I've missed?"

"No," Dukat said with a smirk. "I felt the inclusion of a civilian member of the Detapa Council would not provide anything of substantive value, as this Prince William is not actually a ruler. Despite his diplomatic status."

"Right," Sisko said, giving his wide smile. To anyone who knew him, it was not something you wanted to see. But Dukat didn't know him that well. "As you say. Feel free to introduce yourself." Sisko nodded and deliberately took a sip of his drink.

Dukat looked at him for a long moment and then decided to move forward. He stopped near the table. "Hello. Am I correct in assuming I am addressing Prince William of Earth?"

William nodded. "Yes. Actually it is Prince William Windsor, Traditional Prince of Wales, Heir to the Hereditary Throne of Great Britain, Head of the Commonwealth. And you are ….?"

"I am Gul Dukat, of the Cardassian Military, former Prefect of Bajor, in fact."

"I see. How can I help you, Gul Dukat?" William asked mildly.

"Do you mind if I sit?" he asked.

"It's a free station … now."

Dukat sat down. "I heard you were inspecting the results of the work done by the reclamators you sent from Earth."

"My father sent," William corrected. "He was offended by the damage left when your people left at the end of the occupation."

"There was some small damage. Obviously there are conflicting reports as to how such damage occurred," Dukat said.

Harry spoke up. "And you think that somehow the Bajorans poisoned their own fields? 350 square kilometers?"

"And you are, I believe, Sir Harry Potter. You came from the wormhole, if rumors are to be believed."

"I came through the wormhole – I am from a different timeline. That is well known."

"Yes. Well. As far as how the Bajoran lands were poisoned … that is something that occurred before you arrived. I am certain that you only received a biased view of what occurred."

Kira Nerys, watching from nearby, sounded off. "His Highness listened to eye-witness testimony."

"Major Kira," Dukat said.

William spoke to interfere. "All of the repartee might be amusing but you came to speak to me?"

Dukat looked at William for a moment and then said, "Yes. I wanted to speak to the man representing the King of Earth who inserts himself into Bajoran matters."

William chuckled, "Your translator is malfunctioning or you are using terms that have numerous meanings. My father is of Earth and he is a King … he is not the King of Earth. He only is a caretaker for Great Britain and its people. As far as inserting himself into Bajoran matters … he's hardly the first. The Cardassians did so for close to a century. However, his Majesty received a request for assistance and even without that, his humanity demanded that he assist the Bajorans whose suffering he felt kinship with. Because of our own history, Great Britain on Earth has been able to provide some small succor to our Bajoran relations. For that opportunity we are grateful."

"Bajoran _relations_? I don't think I know what you mean?" Dukat said.

"I only meant that we are all, in a way, brothers and sisters. It behooves us, I think, to treat other sentients as kin from afar. On Earth we call it the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would wish yourself to be treated. If, in some distant future, Great Britain has need of something that Bajor might provide, we can only hope that they will do so with compassion and not reluctance, as we have helped them."

Major Kira said, "If I have any say should that come to pass, I will do what I can to ensure that our debt, even if you do not claim it, is acknowledged. Many Bajorans feel bonds of kinship and affection with the Humans of Great Britain on Earth."

William smiled. "I am glad to hear that." He looked back at the Cardassian. "And now you have met me. I will pass on your words to my father. Perhaps, in the future, we might discuss matters more closely. If you will excuse me, I have need of the refresher now."

William quickly left with Harry following. Dukat said, "I think I will wait. Perhaps we can have further discussion sooner rather than later."

Major Kira said, "As Prince William said … it's a free port. I, however, have duties to return to, as does Commander Sisko."

Sisko nodded. "Yes. Meal time is over. Good day, Gul Dukat."

Quark came over. "Would you like something to drink or eat?"

"I'll have kanar."

Quark nodded. "One kanar coming up." Quark paused. "I have a limited supply so it will be a bit more expensive than usual."

"How much?" Dukat asked. Quark named the price, and Dukat waved him to get on with it.

The Cardassian sat at Quark's drinking his kanar. It took nearly a quarter hour before he considered matters strange. "How long does it take this Prince to use a refresher?" he asked out loud.

A voice from behind said, "He was done with the refresher in two minutes. But he also had a ship waiting." Dukat stood quickly and saw Sir Harry Potter appear from the docking area. "Quark. A bottle of butterbeer!"

"Right."

Dukat said, "I did not see him leave."

Harry smiled. "He was assisted in doing so. There had been threats so I was in charge of his security until he left on the Sutherland. Which disconnected from Deep Space 9 just … four minutes ago."

Dukat pulled out a small device. His ship answered. "Did the Federation ship Sutherland just detach from the station?"

"Yes, Sir. It has already started vectoring away at full impulse."

"I see. Carry on." Dukat put away his device. "A pity. There were so many things I wanted to discuss with him."


	7. Clues to a Lost Hero

Sir Harry Potter quite enjoyed the masked annoyance Dukat felt from having missed Prince William. He accepted the bottle of butterbeer from Quark and sat down. "Letters and communications sent to Prince William Windsor of Great Britain, Earth, - and even King George Windsor - can be forwarded by any Federation facility you may wish to contact."

Dukat gave a mocking smile. "Thank you." Then he asked, "What are you drinking?" with a tone of curiosity.

"It's something recently available from Bajor called butterbeer; it isn't like your kanar there: It has a very small alcohol content. It is not a drink to intoxicate, it is a drink to enjoy, warm or cold. I quite like it."

"I've never heard of it," Dukat said.

"We'll have to correct that, my treat." He looked over at Quark. "One warm butterbeer for Gul Dukat. Also give him one cold. I'll pay for both."

Dukat watched the Human even as the Ferengi bar owner delivered too cups with two bottles. One was warm, one was cold, as advertised. Dukat tried each. "Oh. That's very good. I'm surprised I have never heard of it. It is alright cold but the warm is _quite_ good."

Potter smiled. "Yes. I imagine warm would be pleasant on a winter day. But it's chilly here for a Cardassian … you prefer temperatures ten to fifteen degrees warmer. That's why I thought of the warm first."

"I will have to get this programmed into my replicator," Dukat commented.

Potter tsked. "Something about it doesn't replicate well. You can recreate the chemical formula, but for some reason the taste is absolutely destroyed when you try. It has to be manufactured, though it does store exceedingly well I am told. It's a product of the Paqu, on Bajor."

Dukat savored the rest of his Butterbeer. "I see. I will have to order some."

"Quark is an approved supplier, but his cousin Gant does most of the distribution off Bajor." Nog had given Gant's name to Harry and Harry had given the name to Mullinbok, who was helping his pseudo-granddaughter negotiate trade. Nog got a very small percentage for having provided the name.

It came out of Harry's cut of the profits so no one complained.

Gul Dukat spent half an hour trying to learn more about Harry but he was able to dodge giving any specific details.

Harry still planned on killing him. He cast a spell on a Cardassian uniform decoration. He wanted to see how useful that would be. It took guts and only worked because Dukat had no knowledge of how Harry's magic worked. But this was a good test to see how far he could track a spell.

* * *

Over the next weeks, tensions between Bajorans and non-Bajorans increased despite every effort to stop it. Deep Space 9 was a haven but that wouldn't last forever.

Quark's bar stayed busy with all types; it was where most visitors went.

One day Harry was there and noticed there was a very attractive female who seemed to be flirting with Quark, and Quark seemed to be buying into whatever she was saying. It was curious because she seemed to be trying to leave.

Harry narrowed his eyes as he saw something pass from one to the other. And from that distance it looked like a Bajoran's ear jewel. Ear jewels were distinctive to those who knew them, even if Harry couldn't really tell them apart.

Harry knew that they used to indicate caste, much like the Indians before the British took over lived in castes. But the Cardassians had suppressed that system. It was the only thing Harry considered of value with the Cardassian occupation.

It wasn't nearly enough to make it worth it.

Harry had a feeling that what he had seen had importance and so he waited until Quark was not busy. "Quark."

"Sir Harry," Quark said.

"Let's see it."

Quark looked confused. "See what?"

"The Bajoran d'ja pagh that woman handed you."

Quark took a long look into Harry's face and then motioned him to a quiet area. "Why are you so interested?"

Harry glanced around. "Honestly? I am a trouble magnet. Things happen to me and around me. When I was a teenager I was ignorant and blind. I had to learn to recognize it so that I didn't have to keep killing people who came after me when I ignored it; it took years to settle down after I started noticing. Now I have a finely honed sense of trouble, usually when things have large and/or catastrophic lines of importance attached even when they aren't obvious."

"And the earring handover stirred your bump of trouble?" Quark asked with some humor.

"Yes," Harry said grimly.

Quark was about to make a joke but decided against it. He pulled the earring from a pocket. Harry admired that Ferengi still had pockets. "We need a Bajoran cultural database." Harry said.

"Why?" Quark asked suspiciously.

"These usually have family name, and other information. There is a sigil on that earring. And it's more elaborate than some, so it is meant to be worn by someone of importance. Where did it come from?"

"Rionoj, an old friend of mine, told me it was given to her by someone on Cardassia IV. She was told to pass it back to Bajor."

"Which means that it's likely recognizable to many people." Harry thought about it. "Do you know someone who has access to a Bajoran database that can locate family names?"

Quark smirked. "I was going to use it as a bargaining chip with Major Kira. She would know."

Harry snorted. "She'd bop you and just take it – she would consider you having a Bajoran's d'ja pagh offensive - unless you had your own and that would likely still offend her. If you want to see profit from it, let's find out whose it is first." Profit was the only way to get Quark to listen.

Quark made certain the bar was taken care of and then rejoined Harry. A call down to the Institute and calling in a favor got them access to the right database and Harry was logged in. "Okay. So how would you describe this sigil?"

Quark and Harry didn't understand Bajoran fully so it took time. Finally, they got a hit. "This says the sign is for the Li family. And the last head of the family is … someone named Li Nalas." Harry looked over at Quark. "You ever heard of a Li Nalas?"

Quark had an odd expression. "Li Nalas? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Who was he?"

Quark put his hand to his face briefly in to show suffering. "I got tired of hearing about him. He was in the resistance. People would tell stories about him – inspiration to all of them – yada yada yada. Disappeared about ten years ago. But the stories kept up. I had to shut people up before Cardassians would overhear and start busting up my bar to stop it."

Harry's insides froze. "This came from Cardassia IV?" He held up the earring.

Quark stopped his bellyaching and said, "That's what she said."

Harry looked at it. "Does this look like it hasn't been worn in ten years?"

Quark looked at it. "No. No it doesn't."

Harry sat down. "The question is: Who do we tell?"

Quark snorted. "I say we don't get involved. Send it to Major Kira anonymously. I'm certain she'll be quite interested."

Harry had a sudden thought. He'd try something he planned on trying later. "Keep quiet about this for now. For your trouble, DOBBY!"

The elf appeared. "Dobby. Take a case of different liquors from our storage and deliver it to Quark's storeroom. Bourbon, whiskey, rye, include an extra brandy as well." Dobby nodded and popped out.

Quark looked at Harry. "That's quite generous of you." He didn't do a large business with the old-style Earth spirits but some truly did enjoy it and paid well when it was available. Having another case on hand would be profitable.

Harry shrugged. "You could have told me to mind my own business, but you listened. I imagine you listen better when the man talking provides a means of visible profit."

Quark gave a wide Ferengi smile. "You seem to understand me _so_ well."

Harry chuckled and left, letting Quark get back to dealing with normal business.

* * *

Harry went to Commander Sisko the next morning. "Commander. I would like permission to take a runabout out to practice a few maneuvers. I've already requested the Glen Lyon be available if you need a ship on hand." Harry needed a small ship.

"Why do you need the runabout?" Sisko asked.

"Well, the runabout and one of the crew licensed to evaluate pilots. It's a part of the certification process."

Sisko considered it. "Who would you suggest?"

Harry appeared to consider it. "Major Kira, maybe? She's been upset over all the crap happening back home, the graffiti here … maybe a few hours to supervise away from the station would be a break for her."

Sisko peered at Harry. "There's another reason you want Major Kira."

Harry tried to stop it but smiled. "Yes. I do think I can get her cheered up. But it's a surprise. Prince William and King Charles were happy with her assistance when William was here."

Sisko chuckled. "I think she enjoyed tweaking the Council of Ministers. But in the interest of good relations … fine. I will inform her immediately and the runabout will be available in one hour for a maximum of sixteen hours."

"That should be fine," Harry said.

An hour later Harry was waiting on Landing Pad A. He had already placed four plates on different corners of the runabout. Each plate was made of titanium gold put into a particular structure. That particular alloy was four times harder than titanium itself according to the metallurgical database. It wasn't as strong as duranium, but it didn't need to be on this mission.

Testing had shown that for some reason titanium gold was more effective at holding the magic for wards than some types of marble. Harry had stumbled onto it because the Federation database included the increased magnetic properties of the alloys compared to the base metals by themselves. That wasn't always a good indication for magic, but in this case it was fruitful.

Harry had been trying to create a set of ward stones to put on a ship. Gold wasn't often used because it was too malleable, despite being magically conductive. It was also considered too valuable and thieves would steal things made of gold. Harry could imagine a "ward stone" made of gold being stolen just for the metal.

Here, gold wasn't that valuable. Also, the replicator had been able to crate the amalgam easily as it was sometimes used in some dentistry procedures, despite it now being uncommon. Ferengi still liked titanium gold fillings when they needed such.

Harry had created the four plates and attached them with sticking charms to the corners of the ship. He had a granite block he had "replicated" which was a master ward stone. It was one foot cubed and it would be placed when they were away from Deep Space 9. A tricorder had confirmed that the composite of the stone was flawless form a warder's standpoint.

Major Kira showed up. "You need some work on your qualifications, I hear."

"I do need help, and I appreciate your assistance." Harry gave her a friendly smile.

Major Kira nodded and entered the runabout. She noticed the two elves. "You brought your retainers?" People felt more comfortable with that then "your elves" for some reason, especially Humans.

"They'll be feeding us lunch. Otherwise, they're along for the ride."

"Well, I will let you pilot us out while I check the flight plan."

* * *

Harry nodded and they were soon off, flying toward some of the colony worlds on one side of the Federation/Cardassian DMZ. When they were far enough from DS9, Harry said, "I do have one thing I need to do."

Kira watched him curiously as he turned to the elves. "Dobby? Winky?"

Winky asked, "It is time, Master Harry?"

"Yes."

Winky and Dobby retrieved a bag and opened a panel. Kira asked, "What is that?" toward the stone the elves were putting in a storage container in the floor.

Harry stood up and went over to the stone. "It's a ward stone, specifically a master ward stone." Harry pulled his wand and cast a spell and pumped magical energy into the stone while the elves watched.

"What are you doing?"

"Master Harry is protecting the ship," Dobby said.

Harry stopped after about a minute. "Woah. I could use a pepper up now."

Dobby retrieved the pepper up while Winky pulled a book and quill out. Harry quickly took the potion and marked the book.

Kira noticed something change but didn't know what. "What did you do?"

"Can you perform a diagnostic on the ship?"

Kira did as asked but she was getting annoyed. Harry came back while it was happening. "I set up a ward to test something for my ship in the future," Harry said.

"What did your ward do?" Kira asked.

Harry grinned. "If it worked properly, it made it impossible to find this ship on sensors."

Kira's eyes widened. "You made the equivalent of a cloaking device?"

"I don't know. It's a standard wardset back home: Unplotability, notice-me-not, Muggle-repelling. Either we won't be seen or we'll be seen as a derelict."

"What if someone comes to claim the salvage?" she asked.

"The wardset exudes a 'not my problem' feeling as well. It convinces people who do notice that whatever they see is not for them to deal with."

Kira sat back. "Wow." The console chirped. "Well, we read as operating normally, though the computer reads a slight drain on the structural integrity generators."

Harry's eyes widened and then he grinned. "That's wonderful! I'm tempted to use an obscenity for emphasis."

"Why is that so wonderful?" she asked.

"That means that the ship is powering the ward instead of pulling from the magical people on board or from the environment, which would be difficult because it's space."

Major Kira's eyes widened. "Wow. That is good. That means you can use it without harming yourselves."

"Exactly right. Which makes our next step much more likely to succeed."

"Next step?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes. We're going to Cardassia IV." He was very matter of fact.

She looked incredulous. "And _why_ are we going to violate the Cardassian border and go to Cardassia IV?"

Harry reached inside his tunic and pulled the earring from his pocket. "This is why."

Major Kira looked at it and then her eyes widened. She grabbed it to look at it closer. "Where did you get this?" Her tone was not friendly.

Harry said gently, "It was passed to a trader at Cardassia IV to be passed back to Bajor, which makes me assume that it's supposed to be recognized. I found it belonged to someone named Li Nalas. Considering it doesn't look like salvage from a dead man, I wonder if this Li Nalas is actually alive. The Cardassians are not the most trustworthy when it comes to Bajorans, so I want to go take a look, and possible rescue whoever this is."

Two competing desires were fighting in her. "We don't know if your wards actually will work."

"I know. But we have probes on board?"

Kira said, "Some of the simpler ones."

"Let's launch one, have it try to find us while we move away and then back, and then pick it up."

Kira said, "Okay."

The runabout launched a probe and, after making certain they knew exactly where it would be, the runabout left at warp four. They moved half an hour away and then warped back, picking up the probe.

The scanners on the probe did not register the runabout after it had left. It did register when it was inside the runabout.

"That appears to be a success," Harry commented.

"So it seems."

Harry considered it. "Can we mask our warp trail just in case?"

Kira thought about it. "I wish Miles was here – he's better at this kind of thing. But I _think_ we can modify our emissions to make it seem like we're a freighter, specifically a Lisseppian transport. They're common enough in Cardassian space."

Harry nodded. "Program it in, but keep an eye on it. This is the first time I've tried applying a ward to a ship. I wish I had time to test this thoroughly before needing it. The ship is small, so it should be okay. Ever since I was promised a ship, I've been planning on what I could do with it with my magic."

Kira said, "You know, this could be considered a violation of the Treaty of Algeron."

Harry snorted. "Romulans and cloaking devices?" Kira nodded. "Nope. I'm technically a foreign resident of the Federation, though my diplomatic status is recognized by Starfleet and the Federation. You're Bajoran – and Bajor didn't sign that treaty. It's a bit sticky because you're a protectorate, but there is an increased demand that the Federation leave Bajor. By law, Bajor isn't yet Federation. The Treaty of Algeron does not apply."

Kira looked at Harry for a long moment. "You know? You're showing a certain _flexibility_ when it comes to following the law. It reminds me of my time in the resistance."

He chuckled. "I was a part of my own resistance. I know how it goes."

* * *

The runabout reached Cardassia IV. Scanning showed a labor camp with Bajorans, but there was a forcefield.

"What class of forcefield?" Harry asked.

"At least level four," Kira said with some despair.

"Not level seven or better?" Harry asked to be certain.

"No. Level four ... level five at best."

Harry sighed in relief. "Good."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I can apparate through them unless it's level seven or better. I can actually travel through unless it's level 9 or 10, but levels seven and eight will register my entrance and even, at eight, possibly damage me. We didn't test it much when I visited Earth, but we did some testing to see my limits. Charles thought it would be in my best interest to know." He didn't mention that his elves could move through even Level 10, though it would hurt them. Elves had always been more magical than Human wizards.

"So you can enter the camp?" Kira asked to be certain.

"Yes. Dobby and Winky will enter the camp after me - I'll call them."

She looked over to the elves, who looked at them with interest. "Why them?"

"I'm going to land the ship at a distance. After I cast a few portkey charms, I'm going to fly to the location of the Bajorans on a disillusioned carpet while wearing my invisibility cloak. I'll land as close as I can and then call the elves to come to where I am. They can pop in invisibly, attach the portkeys to all Bajorans, and then pop back. I can apparate back as well. And then the time based portkeys will start activating. There can't be twenty – we're getting about twenty life signs total and that includes Cardassians. So anywhere from twelve to sixteen? I can take care of that."

Kira shook her head. "Your magic is outside of my experience. It comes across as strange."

Harry smirked. "Yes, it is." He became more serious. "Be ready to launch immediately after the portkeys bring them and we load them in. You'll have to fly while the elves and I make certain the Bajorans are not further damaged."

Kira nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Harry and Kira carefully landed the ship forty kilometers away – the portkeys would take a minute but no one was expecting it. "This will only work once," Harry warned. "In the future, if any details get out, they will work out ways to stop me. I'm tempted to obliviate the memories from the people we're rescuing so that they can't tell anyone how they were rescued."

Kira protested, "That isn't right!"

Harry sighed. "I know. I said I was tempted – not that I would."

They finally landed under the cover of some trees. "The carpet, Dobby." While the two waited, the elves got the materials ready. "The hardest part is that the elves don't like fighting. They aren't as limited as they were on Earth, but by culture Elves were taught that it was wrong to attack anyone especially in self defense. I'll be watching in case I have to attack to save them. If that becomes necessary we're going to have some problems."

Harry looked around and, once his bearings were set, he cast twenty portkey charms set to go off 90 minutes after he cast the spells. The portkeys were small pieces of cloth that could be slipped into clothing by the elves without anyone noticing.

Soon, Harry donned the cloak while Kira looked in shock. The elves took it in stride. He left his head uncovered. "I'll be calling soon – fifteen minutes or so."

"We'll be ready, Master Harry. We will arrive hidden," Winky said.

"Good." He covered up and flew off.


	8. Prisoner Recovery

There weren't many trees but there were a few large boulders with one side hidden from the camp. He landed, rolled the carpet, and put it away in the pouch he was wearing. Wearing his cloak, he walked out to look into the camp. As expected no one noticed him.

Silently, he apparated into the camp – the forcefield provides no trouble. The Cardassians were mostly derisive toward the prisoners but didn't seem that serious about making the Bajorans work. There were two assholes. From his cloak he cast two compulsion charms – both Cardassians felt the need to go use the facilities.

Harry made his way to a hidden part of the camp. "Dobby. Winky."

The two disillusioned elves arrived with small pops. "We're inside the camp. Twelve Bajorans. I sent two Cardassians off with compulsion charms. I put the carpet in the bag I'm wearing. We've got an hour or so until the portkeys go off – I want to make certain we're ready in thirty minutes."

The two quiet voices came back, "Yes, Master Harry." The elves completed the job in ten minutes – they were much better at being sneaky than Harry was.

"Have we seen enough to guess what potions would be useful?" he asked the elves quietly. He had brought his potions stores just in case.

"Nutrition, burn salve, skel-gro, wound paste. Most need more water." Dobby was experienced in gauging needed potions.

Harry had an idea. "Dreamless sleep – we can give each one a dose and they'll sleep most of the way back to Deep Space 9."

"Yes, Master Harry," Winky said. She could administer that potion easily – she had experience with her Master Barty on bad days.

He considered how best to manage the rescue. "I'll have to stun them while they are disoriented from the portkey. Dobby will move them into the runabout. Winky will administer the dreamless sleep. Major Kira will keep a record for the authorities – this labor camp is in violation of the agreement made at the end of the occupation. Major Kira is going to be pretty vocal about it when we get back."

"Yes, Master Harry," Winky said. "Major Kira will be vicious."

"Yeah." He considered. "Leave off the skel-gro – Bashir can do a better and faster job. But we can make them comfortable. Winky? Go back and tell Major Kira what's happening. I will be back soon. Dobby will return just before the portkeys go off – he has better experience at being sneaky, sneaky."

"Yes, Master Harry." She looked at Dobby. "Be careful."

"I will be careful." Winky popped off. Once she was gone Dobby said, "I feel much better that Winky is away. There are many bad people here."

"I know what you mean, Dobby. That's a very normal feeling when it comes to those we love."

"Yes, Master Harry. I will feel better if you leave too."

Harry sighed. "In a few minutes. I'll be passing out a few compulsion charms to the worst Cardassians. The ones just standing around looking less than happy about being here I'll leave alone."

"Of course, Master Harry."

Harry finally popped out of the camp and, after he made certain no one noticed, he popped back to the runabout. Major Kira was waiting anxiously. "Winky said things are on schedule?"

"Yes. We have to be ready for them to appear in the clearing one after the other. Dobby is keeping watch – he'll come get me if there is a problem."

"But you don't anticipate any problem," Kira said.

"No. The only person who has an inkling that I am up to something is Quark – he was passed the earring by a trader friend of his. I gave him a crate of liquor to keep him quiet. Sisko knows we're out but doesn't know where we are. And even if they saw us disappear from scanners, they don't know why or that we came this way – our original flight path is in another direction. The Cardassians weren't alerted that anything was up. Same for the Bajorans. For everyone here, it's a normal day. Another hour won't be the difference between life and death for any of them. The camp looks like it has been in use for years and no one extra has been put here. It's probably been hidden from the Cardassian civilian government even."

"What about the Cardassian Military?" Kira asked.

Harry was dubious. "I suspect this camp was created by order of the Obsidian Order. There _are_ some petty Cardassians as guards – though there seemed to be a few more innocent ones too, soldiers who are just doing what's ordered. The innocent ones seem to be going out of their way to leave the Bajoran prisoners alone. They didn't start bitching when a Bajoran stopped to get a drink of water, things like that. The ones being obnoxious I sent off with the idea they were having digestive issues."

"Really?" Kira asked with amusement.

"Yes. They're in refreshers right now," Harry said with a smirk.

Kira laughed. "That's great!"

Harry chuckled but then became more serious. "I suspect that one of the more innocent Cardassians helped to smuggle out Li Nalas's earring."

"Did you see him?" Kira asked eagerly.

"I think so. There was one the other prisoners seemed to want to protect, though he wasn't trying to be treated any differently. He didn't have an earring."

"That would be Li Nalas. He'd be too noble to take advantage of others." Harry was a bit disturbed by Major Kira's blind faith, but kept silent. It wasn't worth making a stink.

Harry and Kira prepared an area in the runabout to treat the Bajorans. "One good thing: The Cardassians will not have hurt them too much recently."

"Why do you say that?" Kira asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Wounded workers get less work done. And while the purpose of the camp is to punish them, damaging them too severely just makes more work for yourself. So the Cardassians are vicious but not too vicious. It would be counterproductive."

Kira said with some disdain, "Let's give thanks for efficiency."

Harry rolled his eyes: Major Kira was in victim mode. Trying to make her consider good points in the Cardassians would be pointless right now.

With five minutes to go, Dobby popped back. "Everything is ready. No one has found portkeys."

"Good."

* * *

Five minutes later disoriented Bajorans started landing in the clearing. Harry sent non-verbal stunning spells at them and Dobby snapped his fingers repeatedly to move them inside.

The last portkey, however, had a problem: In addition to a Bajoran, a Cardassian was holding on to the prisoner. Harry cast a verbal stunner, a bit overpowered. "Damn!"

Dobby said, "That's all of them."

"Get them inside." Dobby got them in. "Dobby? I'm going to side-along him and pop back. Get Major Kira ready to lift off in a minute."

Dobby rushed into the runabout. Harry went and grabbed the downed Cardassian. He apparated outside of the camp behind the boulder. Being a bit tired, he actually pulled one of the unused portkeys he had made and activated it. He was soon back at the clearing and Winky was waiting at the entrance.

"Hurry, Master Harry."

He got inside. Winky closed it and Dobby called out, "All inside, Major Kira!"

"Activating launch sequence," she called back.

Harry was given a drink of water and another pepper up – his limit. He still had treatments to handle and he wanted to make certain everyone was alright.

The elves had cast cleaning spells on the former prisoners. Harry vanished most of the clothing. The prisoners were all male except three and Harry immediately made sure their modesty was respected.

Winky provided nutrition potions and Harry spelled them into the Bajoran stomachs. "Major Kira! Can you tell me when we're at warp?"

Kira called back, "Three minutes. Alerts haven't been sent out yet, but they will be soon."

Harry said quietly, "I hope not."

Dobby and Winky started to rub in the burn salve. Winky was taking care of the female patients, Dobby the rest. "Winky? Administer wound paste as needed once you've administered the burn salve to those three."

"Yes, Master Harry," Winky replied.

The sensors and cameras would have to take care of the record keeping. "I will be up piloting with Major Kira."

Harry turned and went up. He sat down. "Alert gone out yet?"

"Just now," she replied grimly.

"Okay. We're returning to where we diverted from."

She looked at him incredulously. "Why? We're on course to return to Deep Space Nine right now!"

Harry sighed. "I know. But I'd really hate to inform any spies how they were recovered. No one has any idea. All were stunned and then given dreamless sleep – which probably is a good thing if they normally experience nightmares. I've given them nutrition potions and the elves are making sure they're hydrated. Right now, Dobby and Winky are administering a burn salve to handle the burns we found. Winky will administer wound paste once the salve is done. I need you to oversee their care."

Kira sighed. "Okay. Let me know when we're back on route." Harry nodded and changed course to return to the spot between Deep Space 9 and the DMZ.

* * *

They were thirty minutes from that point when Kira returned. "Those elves are amazing," she said.

"I know. But why are you saying it?" he asked.

"They've administered the medicines, given them water, vanished their bodily wastes, and made certain they were clean – all while the patients have stayed unconscious. They're going to wake up wondering what happened to them."

Harry laughed briefly. "I'm sure it will be a shock. Pleasant, hopefully, but a shock all the same."

Kira nodded. "The tricorders have recorded what has been happening. There are a few small breaks and strains but those are best treated by trained personnel. So I'm left with nothing to do until we get back or they wake up."

Harry checked the time. "They're out for at least another three hours, but likely closer to six. Bajorans do seem to have the same reactions to potions as squibs do back home."

"Squibs?" she asked.

"Non-magical children of magical families. Pure non-magical Humans don't always get the full effect of potions. Squibs do but they take more time than with normal wizards and witches. The Bajoran people react to potions like squibs do, or so it seems. Likely because of the Prophets and their connection to Bajor."

"Thank the Prophets," she murmured under her breath.

"Anyway. Federation medicine would have done the work, but I had access to potions, so that's what I used. Dermal regenerators might have been faster."

Kira shrugged. "But dermal regenerators usually leaves thin skin for a couple of days until the skin fully heals. Regenerated skin is more susceptible to cuts for the first days after treatment. The skin of the patients in back is closer to normal according to the tricorder."

Harry considered that. "I wasn't aware. Anyway. We're a few minutes out. I will be removing the ward stone and then we're flying back to Deep Space 9."

"Roger," Kira replied.

* * *

It was just an hour later than they were close enough to Deep Space 9. Harry said, "I have to turn all of this over to you, really. My diplomatic status will keep me from getting in too much trouble but I will need to make a full report to King Charles at Buckingham Palace. All inquiries need to be approved by the Royal Solicitor. Please let Commander Sisko know."

Kira nodded. "I will do that." She paused and then said, "For what it's worth: Thank you. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would help bring back Li Nalas. The Bajoran people will be grateful when they hear your part of this."

Harry chuckled darkly, "We'll see. Remember what happened when we were cleaning up Bajor."

Kira sighed. Incidents such as he was referring to didn't make her people look good.

Harry completed a detailed report and sent it off to King Charles, with a copy to the Federation council member overseeing Bajoran matters. And then he waited.

* * *

It took three hours but the expected call to the Commander's office finally came.

Harry had gotten himself dressed more formally (just dress robes, not battle robes) and made his way to Ops. "Commander Sisko," he said after being invited in, "you asked to see me?"

Sisko immediately noted his dress. "Sir Harry Potter. I have received a report from Major Kira of the Bajoran Militia that you violated the Cardassian border in a Federation runabout."

"Yes. I sent a full report to King Charles as my nominative superior when it comes to my diplomatic status. I asked for an adjudication from him at his earliest convenience as to whether I should turn myself over to any legal authority in the matter."

Sisko was taken aback a moment. "I see. And your use of the equivalent of a cloaking device?"

"I was loaned Runabout Ganges for the purpose of my pilot training, as stipulated in the agreement with Starfleet and the Federation when I provided the Granger Seed Bank for use to the Federation to help colony and other worlds suffering from ecological lack. My use was supervised but it was under my authority during that time. Although I enjoy diplomatic status within the Federation, legally I am a foreign resident – not actually a Federation citizen. Major Kira is of the Bajoran Militia – also not a Federation institution. A treaty the Federation has with the Romulan Empire does not apply to this situation. I wasn't even using what can be referred to as a device – it is actually a rock." He wasn't going to mention the plates which he had the elves retrieve without anyone noticing.

Sisko looked at Harry's blasé expression and said, "Very well. I will consult with New Buckingham as far as those matters are concerned. The Cardassian Government has officially apologized for retaining custody of several Bajorans. It was an out of the way and forgotten installation, or so they claim."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm sure the civilian government was unaware. I don't know about the military. The Obsidian Order, I am certain was fully aware of it."

"Nonetheless, they have declined to file a protest, although the military officer who informed me of the decision expressed regret at this."

"Oh? Which officer?" Harry asked.

"Gul Dukat," Sisko said tersely.

Harry let a cold grin come to his face. "I am overcome with shame that I have cause emotional distress to such an august personage."

Sisko sighed. "I won't be taking any official actions. But if you do such a thing again from my station, I will ensure a penalty is enforced. Do you understand me, Sir Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Understood, Commander Sisko." The man was upset, no doubt about it. Harry was going to have to grovel.

And then Sisko's face changed. "However, Major Kira has alerted the Provisional Government that Li Nalas has been found alive and returned to Bajor. His return was greeted with much official praise. A Bajoran leader who is unifying, unexpected but appearing at this time of unrest, is just what was needed. One could almost call it _fate_."

Harry shrugged. "Praise be to the Prophets," he said calmly. "You can tell anyone who asked that was my official comment on the subject."

Sisko just shook his head. "Dismissed, Sir Harry." He nodded and left.

* * *

Several Bajorans were quite appreciative of Harry having helped bring back Li Nalas. Li himself seemed less than ecstatic. Harry finally cornered him. "You seem less than happy about being the returned hero of the Bajoran people."

Li replied, "You wouldn't understand."

Harry snorted. "I'd understand more than you think."

Li looked at him curiously. "What is your story?"

Harry glanced around. "Let's get Sisko in to verify what I'm saying."

Harry gave his history, emphasizing being seen as a hero when it was actually his mother's sacrifice. Li listened and said, "You might understand."

Li then told the story of how he had become a hero to both Harry and Sisko. Harry laughed at the end. "At least you're the one who killed the man – I was a hero for something my _mother_ did. But from one Chosen One to another, your approach needs work."

Li asked, "What do you mean?"

Harry looked at Sisko, who took over. "Your people are fracturing. They threw off their oppressors but no one actually knows how to _be_ free. They don't need a man, they need a _hero_. A symbol. You feel uncomfortable being the symbol? Tough. However it was done, you now hold the best hopes and dreams of your people. Stop being a coward and be the standard that your people need you to be."

Things didn't go the way Sisko wanted. Li Nalas was given a title but then parked on Deep Space 9 to replace Major Kira.

* * *

Everyone could see the direction this was going. Harry grabbed Sisko late one night. "What are you doing in my quarters?" Sisko asked, suspicious.

Harry put his finger to his lips and then handed over his invisibility cloak. Sisko had a decent time playing with that for a moment before he listened to Harry's request that he put it on. Harry then had is elves pop him and Sisko out.

Harry was disillusioned, as were the elves. "We're going into the bowels of Deep Space 9."

Harry led Sisko through some of the corridors and finally they arrived at a special entrance Harry had set up. "What is this?" Sisko asked.

Harry looked at him and said, "You're going to be the secret keeper." Sisko was shocked when a small slip of paper was given over to him: _The Redoubt can be found in Maintenance Duct 5A._"

Harry cast the spell, and it tired him out. Finally Harry said, "The only person who knows about this is you – and you're the only one who can tell anyone. Even if you tell anyone else, they can't pass it on unless you, specifically, die. It's totally secure. Tell me and the elves the secret please so that we can show you what's inside."

Sisko looked and said, "The Redoubt can be found in Maintenance Duct 5A." Harry grinned as the entrance appeared by pushing the ducts beside it left and right.

"That works. Let's go inside."

Inside the space Sisko was amazed. "Actually, the inside is a magical trunk we sacrificed. Dobby and I have been preparing it. We've made two magical bathrooms – old Earth style – which will vanish wastes. Be careful what you drop in because it will be _gone_. The chests over there have foods that can be eaten, though some of it is in old Earth style cans. Magical people prefer fresh food or food stored in jars and so forth. So the cans of non-magical food that we brought we've pretty much left alone. I've moved all of it in here – whatever emergencies that happen over the next few years, you'll at least have a store of food. Not the healthiest – twentieth century Earth used a lot of chemical preservatives – but it will keep at least Humans alive for a couple of years if necessary. You can bring in modern ration bars too – I can't stand them personally. I almost prefer the canned stuff. There's a magically powered stove and oven, utensils, chop sticks … whatever can be used. We have a tiny bit left, but it was something we hadn't wanted to leave on Earth, so this works out."

Sisko went and looked. "Chef-Boy-R-Dee?"

"Bland pasta … a can is good for one person. A bit messy, or so I remember. You see the pull tab on top?" Sisko nodded. "Those things are can openers when there are no tabs. If you need it, I'll show you how to work them. There's also canned fruits, soups, etc, etc. Have a blast. This is what I had to show you so let's get out of here. Dobby will pop you back – easier from the corridor – and then come back with my cloak."

Harry went to bed quite happy to have unloaded his muggle rations. When unloading on Earth, he left some of it, but hadn't wanted to clutter his storage there. It went against his inclinations to throw things away. Sisko might never need it, but Deep Space 9 seemed like it was heating up – Sisko could have it.


	9. Dealing with the Siege

Finally, the order came: All non-Bajorans were to retreat as staying might be considered a violation of the Prime Directive. Harry made a call to Bajor and then went to see Sisko. "So. Evacuation?"

Sisko nodded. "However, there are difficulties because not all Federation technology can be removed within the time we have available. It makes it difficult the take everything that belongs to us."

Harry saw that Sisko was using that and so didn't offer to help. "The civilians will have to go."

"Yes. All non-Bajorans, and quite a number of Bajorans who are married to Starfleet personnel."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, but I will be evacuating with the civilians – the King still has me in detention for my stunt with the Cardassia IV situation. I can't stay and help."

"What help do you think we might need?" Sisko asked archly.

Harry chuckled darkly. "I think I have a sense of what you're willing to do. But as things stand, I must travel to Bajor and retrieve the unused portions of the Granger Seed Bank. The Glen Lyon will be back in two hours – coordinate with her captain for how many he can take. The elves and I can utilize the elves' cabin alone." They had a magical tent. He would take one of the elves to set up while the other took their quarters down.

Sisko nodded. "Thank you. A lot of civilians will want to get away."

"I know." Harry didn't like to retreat, but King Charles had been clear: For the moment, do not allow himself or his retainers to be put into jeopardy or get directly involved.

The Glen Lyon quickly moved to Bajor, over the Institute. Harry and the elves were on the pads. The First Officer's voice came through. "Sir Harry. The scanners read a mob outside of the Institute, though no one has entered yet. The Bajoran Director has locked down the facility."

"Beam me and Dobby down – be prepared to beam us back with the Director as well."

"Aye, Sir Harry."

Harry and Dobby were down a moment later. "How do things go, Director Redro?"

The Bajoran woman was fairly calm. "I've locked the computer and all local machines down. There hasn't been weapons fire because there are no non-Bajorans on-site – until you showed up. But it's been a strictly low-tech confrontation. I would prefer to get out of here."

"As soon as we remove the Granger Bank."

Redro Urjea fumed a bit about that, but not toward the Earthlings. Her people were being short-sighted and it made her angry. "Very well."

If anyone else had tried, it would have taken hours. But they had a trunk and they had magic: All seeds were moved into magical stasis within forty minutes.

"Okay. The Granger Seed Bank has been secured. Are you ready to go?"

Redro went to a panel and hit a few keys. She also entered a vocal command with password. "Anti-theft and anti-piracy measures will come up in one minute. Coming back will be a hassle, but I will return." Dr. Redro said it with certainty

"I'm sure you will." Harry tapped his badge. "Three to beam up."

Harry and the others appeared on the transporter pads. They knew that behind them, on the surface, alarms would be sounding within twenty seconds. After thirty seconds of the alarm sounding, several force-fields and lockouts would activate. Those could only be turned off with a code entered at a particular panel on the planet only accessible at a particular location which could only be reached by transporter.

Harry had been overly impressed with the idea when the Institute was being planned and the designer had indulged him with the over-complicated security.

Nevertheless, the Institute was now secure and USS Glen Lyon was moving to Deep Space 9 to take on as many civilians as it could hold. Harry had released the Glen Lyon from any obligations to him other than to allow him on board as was protocol for an emergency. This had been laid out in the contract which put it in the Bajor system working with the Botanical Institute and, nominally, him and the elves.

The major concern Harry had was what would happen when things got resolved. If matters were left as they were, the Botanical Institute would suffer greatly. Even if things got turned around, the agreement with Starfleet had been interrupted through no fault of Starfleet. The Glen Lyon could be reassigned regardless.

* * *

The USS Glen Lyon could hold a hundred and fifty extra if you were willing to cram them in. Harry would, on Commander Sisko's request, taken in Jake Sisko, Keiko O'Brien, and her daughter Molly. Dobby and Winky were actually excited at the chance to watch over the children.

He received his first set of guests. "Keiko. Molly. Welcome to Casa Potter. Your room is ready." He motioned toward the tent, which both were familiar with. After they entered Harry said, "I'm sorry I couldn't use the main tent – that wasn't taken down until we were almost leaving. As a result, we have fewer rooms. So you and Molly will have to share."

Keiko smiled at him. "That's fine. I'm sure Molly will enjoy sleeping with mommy."

Harry chuckled, "But will mommy enjoy sleeping with a toddler?"

When a nervous Jake was welcomed and shown into the tent, Harry had an opportunity to amuse himself. "This is normally my bedroom, you'll be in here."

Jake looked around. "Where will you sleep?" Harry grinned and pointed to an area with a blanket. "Isn't that kind of small?"

Harry grinned and transformed into his ferret animagus form. Using that, the small bedding was more than enough. Jake stared. "Wow. Cool."

Harry changed back. "I don't get enough chances to use it. So it works out for me. If you need anything call for Dobby who's taking care of us. Winky is caring for Mrs. O'Brien and Molly."

"Mrs. O'Brien is here?" Jake asked nervously.

"In the other room."

"Oh."

Harry grinned. "Yeah."

Harry left the teenager to settle in. He left the tent and sent a request through the comm system for word when it was convenient. He sat down at the desk which normally was unused and called up whatever status reports were deemed okay to publish to his diplomatic log in.

A civilian had a very limited access on a starship. He and his elves, with diplomatic access, could see more. The ship's crew could see the most.

Keiko came out a bit later. "How is Molly?"

She smirked. "I've drafted Jake to watch and play with her. She's doing alright."

Harry chuckled. "That's a good use of resources."

"I want to go out and find out what I can."

Harry said, "You can log in and see what can be found. You might get more than me having reserve status in Starfleet." He stood up so that Keiko could sit down.

Ultimately, no more information was available to her than to him.

Keiko finally sat back. "What now?" She was obviously worried about her husband and his comrades.

Harry shrugged. "It's a matter of hurry up and wait. We did the hurry up." He considered for a long moment. "Let me put a call through." Harry reminded the Operations Chief (the Captain and First Officer were too busy) that there was a store of old Earth movies he had put into the Glen Lyon's database.

The holodeck couldn't hold more than thirty (it was a small deck) but as a means of distracting the passengers it could be useful.

* * *

Dobby and Winky finally appeared after having rested – Harry had ordered them to rest and they had complied.

"Okay, guys. Everything seems okay here, you can go and see if you can help the crew care for the extra people from Deep Space 9. Use the Federation replicators and the ship's supplies as much as possible – it isn't our responsibility to entertain. If something is needed of ours, use your best judgment."

"Yes, Master Harry," both elves echoed before exiting their quarters.

Two days later, the Glen Lyon was sent a message: The crisis was over and the Bajorans were returning to a more neutral or pro-Federation stance. Keiko, reading the messages from her husband, solemnly informed Harry, as well as the other Bajoran civilians, that Li Nalas had died fighting against the anti-alien movement on Bajor.

Harry considered the man likely was almost happy to die – he hadn't expected to survive Cardassia IV and hadn't comfortable being a symbol. Now he would be a martyr.

On the return trip to Bajoran space, Harry went and found Dr. Redro. "How can I help you, Sir Harry?" the woman asked.

Harry sat down across from her and cast a muffliato. "No one can hear us outside of a background noise."

Redro's eyes widened. "Interesting."

Harry sighed. "We need to talk about the official response to being forced to withdraw the Granger Seed Bank because of anti-Alien movement."

Reldo sighed. "I would hope that neither you nor our patrons believe that the members of the Institute in any way supported those feelings or actions."

"No, we know you didn't. The problem is that the contract has been interrupted. It's less of an issue with me and the royals and more how Starfleet is going to deal with it. The Glen Lyon's mission is based on that relationship having been created and continuing. Now it will only be that I haven't gotten my own ship yet that is keeping the Glen Lyon in system."

Redro considered that. "Will the Federation, or Starfleet, become obstructive?"

"I don't think so. But at the same time I am a bit offended at how cavalierly we were ordered away. King Charles, the Royal Household, and I have done everything we can to help Bajor recover from occupation. And we're not representing the Federation, which is hard for some people to remember. I do not want to stop the work, but I really want to tweak those who listened to the man responsible."

"Do we know who is responsible?" she asked.

Harry had spoken to Sisko over a secure line. "The Alliance for Global Unity, which fronted the Circle, was discredited. Privately, Jaro is being forced to remove himself from political office and will be under a form of house arrest. The information that the Circle was being armed by the Cardassians didn't sit well with loyal Bajorans."

Redro was a loyal Bajoran. "He should be hung as a traitor."

Harry said, "His downfall was complete. His 'house arrest' will be less 'house' and more 'arrest', I have been assured. But making too loud of a stink would be politically divisive and neither the Federation nor the Provisional Government wants that."

"So what do you want to do?" Redro asked.

"How much do you need the Seed Bank at this point?"

She considered that. "Most of the useful crop seeds were gotten already. There have been a number of Bajoran plants destroyed by the Cardassians which are on the road to recovery using Earth seeds in conjunction with genetic modification. Those processes are already being worked on – closing the main offices down didn't stop all laboratories."

"And future needs?"

Redro asked, "Will we still have access to the information about seeds that are available?"

"The database, yes."

"Then as long as we can request and transport seeds as needed, there is no real reason why the Granger Seed Bank has to be stored at Bajor. It was a matter of prestige that many worlds were contacting us for access. Bajor is closer than Earth for many of those worlds."

Harry sighed. "The question is: Should I suggest modifying that? Will it change the work being done to help Bajor recover?"

Redro Urjea was a loyal Bajoran and so she did not want to be responsible for anything which reflected badly on Bajor. But she was also a bit righteous herself and was willing to make the politicians pay something. "Whatever is decided, the work will go on."

Harry sighed. "Thank you. I will send the report to King Charles to get his input. You should send your own report." Harry would also ask to be taken out of detention … his presence might have helped Sisko during the recent crisis. And Harry hated being kept out of the action.

They returned to Deep Space 9 and Harry ensured the Institute staff had been returned as well. Unlocking the Institute was just as complicated as Harry had envisioned making it.

* * *

Harry got the details from the command staff on the attempted takeover. General Krim had been the man who had been charged with the takeover, but when he was convinced of the truth, he had immediately accepted defeat and submitted his resignation for accepting the order.

Harry was curious. "Where is he now?"

Sisko gave one of his eye-shrugs. "I don't know – I hadn't paid attention."

Harry nodded. "I worked with him a bit … he seemed pretty honorable to me, or as honorable as he was allowed to be by his circumstances."

Sisko considered that. "I would have to say that is an accurate observation of his character, at least from my experience. When he withdrew, he complimented Li Nalas on the campaign that he led against the takeover. His praise seemed sincere."

"I thought Li Nalas died in defense during the takeover," Harry commented.

"One of the Militia members who disagreed with the surrender attempted to kill me. Li immediately moved to protect me with his body and died for his efforts. He acted knowing what would happen." Sisko added with a wry tone, "He chuckled before he died, telling me he was off the hook after all."

Harry replied solemnly, "A good and noble man. He had personal demons, but that didn't change his character."

Sisko nodded. "As I told Chief O'Brien when we were discussing what occurred: Li Nalas was the hero of the Bajoran resistance, performed acts of extraordinary bravery and honor, and died in the defense of their freedom. That is what the history books on Bajor will say and that is how I will remember him to any who ask."

Harry nodded; he understood the point Sisko was making. "Still, I think I'm going to chase of Krim. I hope he lands on his feet. If he ends up having to play the sacrifice, I may offer him a job."

Sisko looked at Harry. "A job?"

Harry smirked. "I am close to finishing the requirements of pilot training, and have the resources allotted to me in exchange for what I brought back to Britain and Earth as well as selling a few items here and there. I will need someone trustworthy to oversee the building of what will be my ship. Krim seems like a trustworthy and pragmatic man."

Sisko gave his mild objection. "He _was_ on the other side of the conflict against the Federation."

Harry nodded. "I know. Have you ever heard of an American politician named Simon Cameron?"

"No. Who was he?" Sisko asked. American meant old Earth, twentieth century or earlier.

"He was a businessman and politician during the nineteenth century, Lincoln's Secretary of War during the Civil War. He had a definition of an honest politician which I think fits Krim. The only reason I know Cameron's name is that I looked him up after seeing his definition."

"Oh? And what was _his_ definition of an honest politician?" Sisko asked with some small eager interest.

"An honest politician is one who, when bought, stays bought."

Sisko looked at Harry for a long moment, and then burst into laughter. For some reason, it struck him as inordinately funny given recent circumstances. Harry nodded at the Commander and went back to his quarters to start searching for the General.

* * *

Harry took a subspace call from Buckingham Palace. "Sir Harry."

"Majesty. You're looking well," Harry said to the king.

"Thank you. You are as well. Now, I've read the reports. Do you have anything to add?"

"No, Sir. Everything I know was sent."

"Good." Charles paused. "I am considering having you send the Granger Seed Bank to Vulcan."

"Vulcan?" Harry asked.

"Vulcan. According to the Director of the Botanical Institute at Bajor, they have accessed most of what they need. Anything further can be sent later. At the same time, the Science Directorate on Vulcan has expressed interest in studying the plants that were previously known on Earth that are suited to a desert climate."

Harry considered that. "There can't be than many plants that became extinct of that type. The deserts were the furthest from impact and such fauna is much hardier than flowers and food crops. How much can there be?"

Charles looked at a screen. "72 species of cacti, 14 succulent plants, 19 low-water trees, and a number of others."

"That many, Sir?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes. The Vulcan Science Directorate has a botanical institution and can store as many seeds as needed. If anyone asks, tell them that Bajor no longer needed to hold the Seed Bank but it could be used to better effect on Vulcan."

"Yes, Sir. I will do as you ask."

Charles nodded and then pauised. "Hey! You've stopped calling me Majesty and King Charles every sentence!"

"Yes, Sir," Harry said wryly. "You can thank Dr. Bashir."

"Oh?" Charles asked.

"Yes. He pointed out that even in the time I was from, one called the sovereign Majesty once when they met them each day and then Sir or Ma'am thereafter. He was successful in finding the book of etiquette detailing such from my own library computer. The excessive Majesties and Highnesses were from medieval times and considered archaic. Bashir got me to brush up on my knowledge of etiquette from the time I gave the Royal family my oath. As a result, I have moderated my speech patterns when dealing with matters Royal."

Charles grinned. "Thank God. That was getting tedious, even if we had decided to indulge you."

"Sorry, Your Majesty," Harry said with a bit of cheek.

"Right." Charles laughed and then became a bit more serious. "I've considered your request as regards becoming involved in security situations in the future."

"Oh?" Harry replied cautiously.

"On my order to retreat in case of possible trouble: I probably should have allowed you to use your best judgment. Your assistance would likely have been valuable to Commander Sisko given your skillset. I am therefore forwarding an official modification of orders to you, a copy to Sisko. You may, at your discretion or at the request of the local Federation or Starfleet authority, become involved in any security matter which is deemed to lend itself to the use of your skills to resolve. In such cases where you accept, you will follow the directions of said authority unless it directly violates another oath you have already given."

Harry considered that for a long moment. He decided that would work. "Thank you, Sir. I appreciate that – staying out of immediate matters is not my best skill."

"I know. Be prepared to send your retainers to deliver the Granger Seed Bank – I don't see a need to send you."

"Understood, Sir."

"Have a good day, Sir Harry. New Buckingham, Out."


	10. Less Invasive Procedures

A/N: This was as far as I had pre-written. I am writing the next chapter but it's not going to come as fast.

Harry had to take two days to brew the potions to replace the ones used during the Cardassia IV rescue. He didn't know that they would be needed, but he had resolved to keep a stock when possible.

He did consider that several potion ingredients were irreplaceable at the moment. He put Dobby and Winky on using their newfound skills with data-collection and storage to retrieve and organize a master list of all plants and animals known by any race or world.

The Federation taxonomy database was remarkably extensive, but it tended to be compartmentalized. Some plants and animals were mentioned in all copies but details had to be retrieved under some circumstances.

Harry put in an order for more storage and processing power for his computer system because there would have to be a comparison of magical plants and animals and their characteristics to the new database.

Already a number of Bajoran plants were found to have characteristics similar to magical plants from old Earth. Harry hoped that those similarities meant that potions could be recreated.

The compendium of potions, including all exotic and uncommon ones, made a very large section of his magical database. Some of the potions he had no use for, but there were some that might be useful in dire circumstances.

Thus this direction of research.

Harry estimated that his updating of magical potions, spells, and rituals to the new timeline would be a job which would take years. It was only possible because computers here didn't have to shut down around magic.

Harry had heard Miles talk about computing using something called bio-neural gel packs. It was a new technology that Starfleet was studying and testing.

His interest was that a computer based on organic components might be susceptible to magic – he might be able to make a magical computer. Potions used to heal people might be useful in maintaining such computing systems.

And it might possible be even better because magic tended to ignore form while still achieving function. There might be instances where a potion shouldn't work strictly based on ingredients but might work anyway because it was magic and not science.

Unfortunately, the technology was classified up the wazoo – it would be a long time before he would be able to test his ideas.

* * *

"Ops to Sir Harry."

He hit his badge. "Go."

"You've got a subspace message marked urgent. It's from Earth."

"Thanks, Dax." He hit his badge to turn it off and moved to his desk. After logging in he called up the message.

King Charles was clear in the message that it was only marked urgent because the matter was to be resolved quickly. "Dobby! Winky!"

The two elves popped in. Winky spoke (she tended to take the lead). "Master Harry? You called?"

He turned and smiled at the two. "Yes. I've just got word back. The Glen Lyon will be leaving in one day to take you two to Vulcan – you're going to deliver the Granger Seed Bank to the Vulcan Science Academy, Department of Botany."

Winky and Dobby looked at each other. "How long will this take?" Winky asked.

Harry sighed. "Well, it isn't ultra-rush so they will flying at Warp Six. Which means that the trip to Vulcan will take a bit longer - two weeks there, two weeks back, unless circumstances demand they hurry it up. Add that to some time to actually do the transfer and you will likely be gone for six weeks."

Dobby was a bit agitated. "You will be without help!"

Harry chuckled. "Remember, I grew up feeding myself. We've got the replicator doing a decent job and I can access storage for food. I would tell you to relax but that would be pointless. You'll have the time and access to work on the taxonomy project. That will help to eventually recreate potions with local ingredients."

Dobby and Winky spoke quietly for a minute and then Winky said, "We will do as you say, Master Harry."

Harry nodded. "Well, it is as King Charles says, but thank you. I would ask that you enjoy yourselves. While I love having your help, you are powerful, intelligent beings in your own right. This is a different place than Britain was. At the rate we're going, you two will become the galaxy's leading experts on flora and fauna. That's okay. In fact, calling yourselves House Elves might be a disservice to yourselves. But, it's what you want so I won't push."

Winky and Dobby shook their heads. "We are house elves – that is what we are," Dobby said. Winky nodded in agreement.

Harry looked gravely at his friends for a long moment. "I'm going to be truthful and explain something: I worry. I worry that there are those who want to take advantage of us, of you specifically. I think I'm a little more prepared even though you, as elves, are more powerful in magic. I am sending you together because you will each work harder to protect the other than yourselves. If I go to Vulcan, there are too many strangers around who might figure out a way to attack. As elves you are less conscious of your own safety so I would not send just one. I will have wards here. This is not magical Britain - here you have just as many rights as I do. I ask that you remember that and, if you have any question, stay together and get to someone you think you can trust."

Dobby and Winky looked at each other and then at Harry and nodded. "We will stay safe, Master Harry," Winky said. Dobby agreed.

Harry smiled at the elves. "Alright. Why don't you start preparing? I will see if anyone wants to come and have a movie night before you leave – let you cook up a nice meal for eight to ten people."

Dobby and Winky nodded enthusiastically and popped off. "Crazy elves – never happy unless they're working." He started to make arrangements.

* * *

Later that afternoon (after the evening had been planned) Harry put in a call to Redro Urjea. "Doctor. Did you get the directions from the Royal Botanical Institute?" The two Institutes worked together and information from the royal family was sent via Earth's Institute.

"Yes. It is as we discussed – I have told our people. But it's alright. We're concentrating on the larger reclamation issues."

"Larger reclamation issues?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Although we have done most of the contamination removal, we still have months and years of work to recover land mismanaged under Cardassian direction." Redro was speaking intently. "Lands that were deemed dead and useless due to the strip mining are now being remediated thanks to the British reclamators. We are converting them to grass lands and areas of forest. Once the grasses are grown, the surface can be turned over and the grasses used as natural fertilizer."

"Why not order fertilizers?" Harry asked curiously.

Redro snorted. "Do you know how much land has to be remediated? We are getting help – but there is so much more that is needed. There is a reason why we have to build reclamation plants in addition to using the reclamators. There are a number of fertilizers which would be useful, but they all cost money that Bajor doesn't have. The Federation's supply is limited, and comes with obligations. And so we do what we can."

Harry nodded. "Have you tried Earth clover? I brought a huge amount of that because I was planning on making honey from honey bees. I also brought it because it was good for giving nutrition to soil. I ended up giving my bee stock to Earth where they are native and the Royals are in charge of the honey production. Still, I think we have several large stores of the seed. I think I have large blocks of it left. I'll need one for the plants I intend to grow. You can have one, two, or three. How much that is I'd have to check – but it's a lot."

Redro considered it. "I'll study it. Right now we plan on using Bajoran grasses."

Harry said, "I'll send a kilogram of clover seed before the Glen Lyon leaves orbit. I have far too much of it. If your research warrants it, plant it and see how useful it would be."

"I can do that," Redro said.

"Alright. Anyway, I wanted to ensure you were alerted on the seed bank. Anyone who has to go to Vulcan, there's a ship going that way."

Redro laughed. "Thank you, Sir Harry. I'll be in touch."

They disconnected.

* * *

That night the elves enjoyed feeding the entire command staff. Keiko and Molly were there as was Jake. Nog was invited as Jake's friend but he had to work.

At the end of the meal Ben Sisko sat back. "Your elves have outdone themselves. I was not expecting jumbalaya."

Harry snorted. "Blame your father. He insisted that the elves learn the dish when we visited him during our last trip to Earth. We were going to send him the beer and spirits, but ended up delivering them. He then stole my elves for a day."

Sisko grinned. "I'm sure they all had a lot of fun."

"Oh, they did. It was just not planned – I was a day late getting back to Britain. But we were on holiday, so no one really complained."

"I'll have to cook for you and we can compare how your elves did," he said.

Harry considered. "No. You teach Jake to cook it and we'll critique it."

Jake protested, "How did I get roped into cooking?"

The table laughed. Harry said, "I'm sure your Grandfather would be disappointed if you never learned to cook his signature dish."

Jake considered that. "You may have a point."

Ben volunteered, "He does."

Jake sighed. "Okay. I'll give a try."

"There is no try, there is only _do_," Sisko said in a wise voice. Jake rolled his eyes.

Harry grinned. "Okay. So are we ready for the movie?"

Everyone started preparing to get up. "What movie are we seeing?" Miles asked.

"Something animated. It's called the _Lion King_," Harry said.

Everyone paused. Bashir commented, "You sound a bit more impressed with yourself than usual."

Harry chuckled. "Where I'm from, this is a classic. It was made by Walt Disney – and not the Walt Disney of this timeline who worked on producing propaganda disguised as public education films for the government." There had been a number of differences that Harry had found between this timeline and his own.

* * *

Everyone sounded interested and there was a certain enthusiasm everyone felt as the film started.

When they heard Mufasa, Jake said, "I recognize that voice!"

Harry said, "That voice is well known. He did Darth Vader in one film, and a few other things."

Miles turned. "Shhhhh." Harry suppressed his snicker and nodded.

The Lion King did not disappoint. Though the non-Humans found the idea of animizing cartoon animals odd, it wasn't that odd. And the story did have a lot of things to teach if one cared to look.

When it was done, everyone expressed their enjoyment. "Next time we're all together, we can watch Lion King 2, and then Lion King 1 ½ after that."

Nerys asked, "1 and a half?"

Harry shrugged. "Human humor – we're odd sometimes."

"I agree," she said with a smile.

Harry and the elves saw everyone off and then cleaned up – well, the elves cleaned after running Harry off to his own room.

* * *

Early the next morning he was there when Dobby and Winky transported to the USS Glen Lyon.

Sisko looked at him and said, "What are you going to do now? You're alone for the first time since you arrived in this reality."

Harry shrugged. "Just the same as normal. I've started making the arrangements to get the keel laid on my ship. I've gotten my Head of Security signed up."

"And who is that?" Sisko asked.

Harry smirked. "Krim, Krim Gage."

Sisko asked, "Former General of the Bajoran Militia, former member of the Circle, enforcer for the Party for Global Unity – that Krim Gage?"

"Yep."

"What convinced him to work for you?" Sisko asked curiously.

Harry looked around to make sure no one was listening and then said, "He's an honest politician." Harry nodded and then turned to return to his quarters.

Sisko watched the resident Wizard walk away and then he returned to his duties.

* * *

Later that day, a general alarm sounded. Wondering what in the hell was going on, Harry checked the station alert system. Opening it, he read that a plasma storm had formed and that it was heading toward the Bajor system.

Bajor was far out of its path and would not suffer due to the storm, but Deep Space 9 was in the path of the storm as it was at the edge of the Denorios Belt. All residents were warned that evacuation was being discussed as it would be extremely dangerous for the station.

Harry was puzzled about something. He immediately left his quarters to travel to Ops.

When he arrived, things were frenetic. The plasma storm was heavy enough that the evacuation was required.

"Can I ask a question?" Harry interjected.

Sisko looked over and saw the local Knight. "Sir Harry. As you can see, matters are quite urgent. So, if this isn't absolutely vital, I will need you to return to your quarters to prepare to evacuate via runabout."

Harry got right to the point. "If the plasma storm is threatening the station such that you have to evacuate it, why not move the station closer to Bajor?"

Major Kira said, "If we abandon the wormhole, the Cardassians could move in."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows that the Bajorans control the wormhole. No one would accept Cardassian control of it. You have hundreds of people on the station and three runabouts. You can at least move the station far enough toward Bajor to keep it out of the worst parts of the storm, can't you? Use the runabouts to tow it?"

Sisko turned quickly to Miles. "Can this be done, Chief?"

Miles blinked twice and said, "If we put a subspace field around the station, the same as when we moved it here originally, and then synced the warp drives of the runabouts … yes. I think it would work. We'd have to be extremely careful but there are several points on the station that are strong enough to attach lines to."

"We can't use tractor beams?" Sisko asked.

"No. Too much sheering stress." Miles eyes lit up. "We can use the cabling that each bay has to lash to a drifting ship if necessary. We won't even need to do an EV to set it up."

Sisko nodded. "Old man, how long until we should move?"

Dax read her console. "If we aren't evacuating – we have twenty hours to set it up. Fourteen would be better to keep out of the leading edge of the storm."

"Send out an alert to all ships docked that the plasma storm requires them to complete their business and leave. Do we have any Starfleet vessels on station?"

"We have a Vulcan science ship."

"Is it configured so that it could assist in towing?"

Miles checked the records. "It could be done – but it's probably safer to not try. It's drive system isn't set up to tow."

"Very well. Send a general alert out that anyone who wishes to evacuate must be ready to leave by runabout in one hour. Otherwise, all residents must be secured in twelve hours, subject to enforcement by station security."

Miles started quickly coordinating with his crew. Harry said, "I guess that includes me."

Sisko said, "Oh, no. Sir Harry, you are, save a few certifications, a qualified pilot, are you not?""

"Yes," Harry said with some confusion.

"Well, I received the modified orders from the King. I am hereby requesting your assistance. Each runabout will need a pilot. I need Dax and Chief O'Brien here. The ships will be piloted by you, me, and Major Kira. We will all have another crew member, assigned by Chief O'Brien, to assist."

Harry sighed. "Okay. I guess I can do that."

* * *

The number of people who evacuated was quite small – mostly overly nervous civilians. All businesses were locked down and people left to their quarters. Only the Ferengi stayed on the Promenade and that was due to Quark's paranoia over his latinum.

Promptly at twelve hours, the station went into lockdown mode and only a skeleton crew remained on duty, plus a full damage control team.

Harry heard the alert. "All runabouts: Activate thrusters, minimal power, vector 135 mark 75. When tow cable attached to the station is taut, cut power to a trickle."

It took two minutes but all three runabouts had taut lines. "Activate warp engine and create a static warp field at the frequency indicated on the flight plan."

Harry checked the orders. He activated the warp engines but did not activate a direction. He changed the frequency of the field until it was exactly what had been given as the frequency for DS9's subspace field. '

He could feel when it synced. "Sync complete," Harry sounded back. He heard Kira and Sisko report the same.

Miles voice came through. "All runabouts, increase power to thrusters to two percent, a third of a percent every ten seconds."

Harry activated the settings Miles had programmed – it matched what was needed. Harry was nervous about making changes – as long as they kept to what was programmed, he would stay calm. All runabouts now were holding the cabling taut.

"Runabouts: Set impulse engines to activate at 21:35 local time precisely. Ten percent impulse."

Harry echoed 21:35 on the comm to show he received the time and then did as ordered, entering the activation time. Each runabout's chronometer had been precisely synced. When they were at ten percent, Harry glanced around. Everything was fine so far.

"Increase to twenty five percent, set for 21:39 precisely."

"21:39," Harry echoed. And precisely at 21:39 all runabouts moved to 25 percent impulse.

"All runabouts: DS9 will disconnect tow lines at 21:43:55. Set power to increase at 21:44. At that time you should be free of the station and it will be moving on its own power only. Once you are at a comfortable distance, continue on until the station reaches the planned location."

"Yes, Chief," Harry answered. Kira and Sisko acknowledged as well.

All three runabouts landed and were secured. Harry went to check in with Sisko. When he got to Ops, everyone seemed happy. "Well done, Sir Harry." Sisko looked around. "Well done, everyone." He looked at Dax. "How long until we move back?"

"The storm will pass by the wormhole in 31 hours, 30 minutes. I suggest we start moving at 31 hours – the time in transit will take care of the giving the storm sufficient time to pass by the wormhole."

Sisko nodded. "Excellent. Lt. Dax, Chief O'Brien: You are relieved. Once Dr. Bashir checks everyone over, Major Kira and I will keep watch and you should move to the redoubt. We will trade off every six hours." He turned. "You, Sir Harry, will return in 28 hours to get ready to fly the station back."

"Aye, Commander," Harry said.

Sisko activated his comm badge. "Sisko to Odo"

"Go ahead."

"Limited operations are now authorized – there will be no arrivals or departures in the next 36 hours. Residents may move about the station for normal business otherwise. Be ready to return to lockdown in 26 hours."

"Yes, Commander," Odo's voice came back.

"Send that out on the Station communication system, Major."

"Yes, Commander."

Harry went back to his quarters and went to sleep.

* * *

The next day he checked in. "Are we still on schedule, Chief?"

"Yes. Well, we will be. Right now we're handling an attempted breach."

"Attempted breach?" Harry asked, confused. "I thought we were in lockdown."

"We are. A ship appeared out of the storm, demanding to dock, reporting wounded. Odo had a full security team ready to assist – they attempted to take the security members hostage and demand entrance. It didn't go so well."

"Wow. What were they after?" Harry asked.

"Apparently, they expected the station to be mostly deserted – and in the storm. Moving us out of the storm meant that we had all personnel. The main perpetrator was a Trill that wanted the Dax symbiont."

"For what?" Harry asked.

"To have it? To blend? Whatever it's called."

Harry was incredulous. "From my understanding that would kill Jadzia – and this Trill expected that to work? Having a symbiont that was resentful about killing the last host?"

The Chief sighed. "He was obsessed – thought he was passed over for political reasons or some rot. Anyway – they caught the whole gang. They're in lockup. So we should be okay."

"What about their ship? Will that affect the tow?"

"No. We should be alright. It's a small ship. Worst case, we have someone else disconnect it and then fly it to the station when we get back to where we're supposed to be."

"Okay, Chief."

Returning the station went as smoothly as moving it had. Just as they were settling the station in, a Cardassian warship appeared. Harry got to listen to the recording of Gul Dukat expressing his surprise – he had been told that Terek Nor no longer guarded the wormhole.

Sisko had been clear that the status remained quo. The Cardassian moved off.

* * *

Harry talked to Jadzia. "How are you doing?"

She smiled. "I'm fine."

"A little scary, someone wanting to force you to give up the symbiont."

Dax shrugged. "It is rare – but it happens."

"Won't that make the symbiont resentful – killing its last host?"

Jadzia sighed. "Not necessarily. The Symbiont gives you extra experiences, a boost in your health, and a number of other advantages. But the entire reason for the symbiont joining is to gain experiences. Even being forcibly moved is an experience. The morality isn't with the symbiont – it's with the Trill. Symbionts, as a matter of pragmatism, accept pretty much anything as long as the host approves. Our society's rules are based on not creating or passing on what we would call a psychotic or neurotic symbiont. But it could only get that way if a host was unsuitable – or criminal. We're taught that there are is a limited pool of Trill that can carry a symbiont – it's not hard to weed out the unacceptable according to our society's mores."

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry – I'm glad I'm Human."

Dax said serenely, "And I am glad I am Trill."

"To each his, or her, own."

"Exactly."


	11. Suitable Substitution

Harry was in communication with New Buckingham regarding where his ship would be built. Currently, plans were leaning toward Utopia Planetia. The person helping him specifically was Lars Dresbach - the Royal Engineers were going to do a lot of the work or at least direct it.

There was another thing he wanted to know about. "How is the holo-program coming?" Harry asked with amusement.

"We've gotten Episode IV entered for the Han and Luke characters. We're still writing the Leia one. The trouble was coming up with alternate scenes if you decided to not follow the script."

Harry was curious, "What happens if you divert?"

Lars smirked. "You die. Horribly. The Empire catches up and you get blown up by the Death Star, or a Star Destroyer. Jabba the Hut's enforcers catch up. I think the hyperdrive malfunctioning and driving you into a sun was the most fun to program."

"You're a sick, sick man," Harry said in a deadpan voice.

Lars laughed. "It's a lot more fun to work on than we thought it would be, I'll give you that. Are you calling me to tell me you want to go with the Falcon design?"

"No. That was fun to play with and as a Holo-novel or Holo-game it's great, but for real life? Not really." Harry sounded regretful.

Lars was disappointed. "Well, the Lads – me included – are still waiting to do our part. Being Royal Engineer is good for planetside work but we don't get to work with star ships enough. Except shuttles and things like that – and that's boring. The King giving us permission to help design and build a ship was great. But now we want to get going on it."

Harry sighed. "I was going to ask you to get the keel started – I kind of liked the first NX as inspiration. But then I realized I had to scrap that because I want to add things. There's still a bunch of stuff I have to figure out magically. If I wanted off the shelf I could have gotten a ship built to a known specification. I want to inject what I call magic, which as far as science goes is a high level, psionically active and reactive energy manipulation which only succumbs to logical rationale on a limited basis."

Lars asked, "What does that even mean?"

Harry grinned. "Logic has no part of magic."

Lars snorted. "Okay. Could we help with getting you farther on magic?"

Harry replied regretfully, "I have to figure out what can be done. I've only just gotten my magical library into a storage computer. I got my magical cloaking scheme created, but now I need to figure out how to manipulate it. And I still have to try to figure out what else can be done magically instead of using science. I want to make this exotic."

Lars looked at Harry thoughtfully. "This magical library: Is there access here on Earth?"

Harry looked at Lars suspiciously but answered, "The King is the only one who can authorize access without me there. We created a backup in case my computer is lost and I have given Prince William the ability to enter backups of advances I've made. But only the British King has the security clearance to grant access and he promised to do so only with my approval."

Lars smirked. "Have you considered that you don't know enough to know what to look for? What you need is a team of engineers to envision all of the required systems for a starship and then to be able to accurately define the processes so that it can be defined by your mojo. Which would take more time: You learning the vast realms of science so that you can then attempt to write out what sounds like a magical program for effects you don't know you need, or letting someone else learn the magical programming language so that you don't have to do all the programming?"

Lars wasn't being very subtle – but he did have a point: It didn't take being magical to work out runic sequences for testing, it only took imagination. It took magical ability to actually test the rune strings – but having someone else write them would be much, much faster.

"Lars? I'm going to send a message to the King, giving the Lads permission. You'll all have to sign a secrecy contract." He was glad that had been worked out. "But I think you and the Lads can probably have a lot of fun with enchanting and warding and magical engineering."

Lars grinned. "We'll wait for the boss to talk to us."

Harry grinned in response. "Good. Now: I've got a Chief of Security and I'm sending him to you."

"Who is it?" Lars asked.

"A man named Krim, Krim Aldos. He's Bajoran. He was a General in the Militia and a part of the Conservative Bajoran political party, the one trying to kick out the Federation."

Lars was confused. "Why would you want him working for you?"

"Because he was doing it because he was convinced it was right. When he found out he was being duped, he immediately quit." Harry was earnest. "He's a man of principle. That's the kind of man I want working for me: Fully committed to what he's loyal to."

Lars considered that. "I can see that. Okay. Where to put him?"

"I'm going to want him securing the hanger we use to build my ship, get it scanned for sabotage or being bugged and then institute procedures to minimize the chance of it happening later."

"Why not use a Human or other member of a Federation race?" Lars tone was curious, not disapproving.

"Anyone we use could be a plant by Starfleet or anyone else. That's why I hired Krim and am paying him what's considered a good wage: When he accepts your money, he's loyal unless you screw him over– and then he walks away. He won't violate his agreement for illegal revenge; his principles wouldn't allow it."

Lars nodded. "Okay. I will talk to the King and make certain it's Utopia Planetia we're going with."

"Good." Harry paused. "How's Rebecca?" He was trying not to sound too invested.

Lars saw through him. "She's alright. She got the surgery, but is still in rehab. She'll be back in a few weeks."

Harry nodded. "When you next talk to her, give her my best."

"Will do."

"Deep Space 9, Out." Harry disconnected.

After the call was done, Harry sat back in his chair. In truth, he felt a great weight lift off of his shoulders. The biggest problem he was having with creating his ship was knowing what was needed. He had to figure out the "programming" for magical effects. Having someone else, someone who understood modern science, working on that aspect meant he wouldn't be stuck spending all his time on theory. He could practice the enchantments.

He would still have to check over the Lads' work first, but as it stood, he couldn't see any reasons why this wouldn't be a plus.

He had never been the research guy – that had been Hermione. He was the practical guy – he would be doing that again, which suited him down to the ground.

He cheerfully put together the message for King Charles and sent it off.

* * *

It was six days since the station had returned to its normal position. Harry had no interest in sitting and eating alone and so he made his way to the replimat often used by the command staff. He had permission though he often used Quark's.

Bashir and Garek were, once again, eating together. And from what Harry could see, Garek was once again pushing Julian's buttons and leading him on. He paused by their table. "Good afternoon gentlemen."

"Good afternoon," Garek said and Julian echoed.

Harry looked at Garek. "Aren't you tired of riling him up yet?"

Garek said with perfect innocence, "I have no idea what you mean?"

Harry gave a brief grin and said, "Sorry for interrupting – I was just passing by."

Garek, Harry noted, was distracted. "Now isn't that interesting." Harry looked and saw a young Cardassian, likely a teenager. Garek's expression became very friendly, as though he was turning on the charm. The teenager saw Garek – and that was not a look of approval. Garek moved to stand up – Harry pushed down on his shoulder. "Sit down."

Garek actually looked emotionally hurt. Harry modified his tone even as he sat down. He said quietly, "I understand that you long for contact with other Cardassians, and intend nothing more than to greet him politely, but he did _not_ look happy to see you. He is not a legal adult, or so I guess. Going up and talking to him would be inadvisable."

Harry mustered his courage to say the next bit. "I know that you are only trying to be friendly but you are an adult and your feelings of kinship might be misconstrued as interest of a more _personal_ nature. Do you want to be viewed as a possible pedophile?"

Garek looked at Harry as though slapped even while Julian winced. "I would _never_!"

Harry sighed. "I believe I know that. I am only pointing out what it could appear like." He looked at Julian. "Doctor. Go and politely introduce yourself. Greet the man – not the teenager. Assuage your own curiosity as you rarely get a chance to meet Cardassians – mention the only resident Cardassian is a friend."

Julian looked dubious. "I really have no interest in getting involved."

Harry sighed and turned. "Sir," he said to the Bajoran man, who looked slightly pugnacious. "If I am not offending, I am not from this reality – I'm from an older version of Earth. Is it common for Bajorans to care for young Cardassians?" Harry's tone was very polite.

Before the Bajoran man could answer, the Cardassian teen spoke in righteous tones. "Do not brand me with the same name as those butchers. As far as I'm concerned, I'm _Bajoran_."

Harry raised his hands. "I apologize – I was not trying to offend. Sometimes I just get curious. Have a good meal." He deliberately turned back to the two men. "Something about that is just wrong – but Garek, I hope you see why I intervened. His expression was not one of social acceptance when he saw you."

Garek looked truly upset at the rejection. "I do understand. It is probably better. But I find I have quite lost my appetite. If you will excuse me …." Garek stood up and with only the briefest glance at the Cardassian teen, withdrew.

Harry turned to Julian. "I think you need to report this interaction to Sisko."

Julian nodded. "You're probably right." Julian also withdrew and Harry quietly ate the meal he had brought, deliberately ignoring the other table and the people sitting at it.

Harry made himself available to give information as needed, but it was not asked for. He tried to keep informed, but it was a deemed a private matter. All Odo would tell him later was that custody records for Cardassian "War Orphans" were now all being reviewed as regards propriety and legality.

* * *

Garek seemed unaffected as ever, but Harry suspected that was a ruse. The Cardassian tailor was more distant in the days following.

Harry noticed something else too: Julian Bashir was distracted.

If he had Dobby and Winky, he'd have them spy for him and find out, but they were still several weeks from returning. Finally he couldn't stand it and marched himself to Sickbay.

"What has gotten you in such a tizzy?" Harry asked bluntly.

Julian looked up from his screen. "Hello, Sir Harry."

"Hello, Doctor Bashir. What has gotten you in such a tizzy?" Harry repeated the question.

Julian sighed but smiled. "Sorry. We have a visitor coming."

"Oh?" Harry asked.

"An Elaysian – the first Elaysian to join Starfleet in fact," Julian said with cheerful interest.

"And what is so exciting about the Elaysians?"

"Well, for one thing they evolved on a planet which has extremely low gravity – as a result their bodies must have external support to operate in what we consider normal gravity."

Harry's eyes widened. "Wow. They must be an odd-looking species."

Julian immediately protested, "Oh, no. If you ignored the slight difference in facial structure, they could actually pass for Human."

Harry looked at Julian. "That makes absolutely _no_ sense."

"Why do you say that?" Julian asked.

"If they evolved in lower gravity, it would stand to reason that their bones would be of a much lower density, their musculature modified to more efficiently manipulate their bodies when other forces aren't putting a great stress on them. Some muscles would be stronger but most, I assume would be much less dense. They would be taller, I assume, thinner. Their tendons would be adapted to control rather than acting as pullies to allow greater work than the structure alone could accomplish."

Julian was confused by Harry's statement. "I don't know where you're getting all of that."

Harry sighed. "Speculative and theoretical studies based on what we knew of science on old Earth. But even the evolution of Humanity seems to follow that. There are so many 'species' around the Federation that were originally Humans that escaped Earth post World War III, who have adapted to the worlds they found themselves on. Their bodies, colors, muscles, even their hair: Each of these aspects adapted and changed over the generations due to the environment. _Why_ would a species adapted to low gravity look generally Human?"

Julian paused. "I admit that I did not do an evolutionary studies class at University. I was concentrating on medicine. Humans are, you are correct, especially adaptive – they change due to environmental factors much more easily. They also tend to be able to adapt to a more Earth-normal environment no matter where they grew up, which is a factor as to why Humans make up such a high percentage of Starfleet. But getting back to our visitor: She grew up in low gravity and I am ensuring we are prepared for her."

Harry was embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I know you are far more intelligent than I am when it comes to bodies and all – some things that I see in this timeline just don't make any sense to me. Why wouldn't her bones be less dense?"

Julian nodded graciously. "The reason is that even though they evolved at a lower gravity, inertia is still a large factor. The Elaysians move around as though they were old Earth acrobats. They run into things, have to grab on and redirect themselves, and so forth. As a result, their bones had to adapt to the added shocks and so they are as thick, and in some cases even thicker, compared to other Humanoid bone structures."

Harry was impressed. "So they don't have weak bones because they tend to run into things?"

"Basically," Julian said with humor.

"Wow. An argument for allowing children to fall and get up themselves. Anyway. So the real issue is muscle thickness and control."

"Yes. I was studying some work done thirty years ago on Neuromuscular adaptation by a man named Nathanial Teros. He didn't achieve success, but the principles he used were sound. With advances in medical science since then, it's possible his research could lead to a stable method for Elaysians and other low-gravity races to adapt to higher gravity environments."

Harry looked at Julian. "You are really excited about this, aren't you?"

"It would be wonderful to actually help a whole race to overcome barriers. I would really like to try."

"Well, if I can help with anything, let me know," Harry said easily.

"Okay. Do you want to see the chair I have to generate for our guest?"

"Sure," Harry said.

Julian showed Harry the schematics on the chair. Harry commented, "That looks almost like the wheelchairs I saw in Britain growing up."

Bashir replied, "It has some passing resemblance. But this is designed particularly for Elaysians – Ensign Pazlar specifically. Although I think I will have to modify it for Deep Space 9."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"It's designed to go over small bumps and obstacles – the Cardassians designed things with higher lips in door ways."

Harry nodded. "Likely for the same reason Navy ships on Earth had high lips – made the bulkhead sealing points obvious. You don't have small gaps things can fall into."

Julian was taking aback for a moment. "Actually, I didn't consider that."

Harry shrugged. "I only know that because I got a tour of an old American aircraft carrier and I had to ask why they made the ships so that you would trip at the doorways if you weren't paying attention. Our tour guide, an old Navy petty officer, was glad to explain it to me."

Julian nodded. "Anyway, I'll modify the design to increase the lift and possible angles it can travel." Harry looked less than impressed so Julian asked, "What?"

"Do you think someone who has to give particular specifications will be happy if you go willy-nilly making changes? Make a better one if you can, sure, but you better provide the one she asked for first. That's all I'm saying."

Julian was about to argue but then stopped. "You may have a point." Bashir looked a bit embarrassed. "That's one of my trouble areas."

Harry asked, "What? Your puppy-like enthusiasm?" He was smiling as he said it.

"No," Julian said with amused annoyance. "I get ideas and I want to try them. Sometimes, I overlook how people might react."

"In other words, you get impressed with your own intelligence."

Julian rolled his eyes. "If that's the way you want to put it."

Harry chuckled, "I get impressed with my own viewpoint – primitive and uneducated as it is. I tend to get condescending when I think about the norms here. Sometimes I'm really impressed when all of you that know me don't smack me when I start on a rant."

"We try to accept you that you have a different background and social education," Julian said diplomatically.

"Well, I appreciate you all humoring me. But at least in this, I can make an accurate prediction: Change what she asked for and she'll get upset with you."

"I'll take that under advisement."

Harry smiled and said, "I'll leave the rest to you. See you later, Doc."

Julian gave a cheeky half-salute. "Ciao."

Harry turned and started walking away. He then stopped at the door and then looked back. Julian asked, "What?"

"The problem is that her muscles are too weak?"

Julian considered that. "The effect is that they are too weak. The cause is that her musculature isn't adapted and isn't dense enough."

Harry thought about it. "There is a potion that we were taught to brew when we were in fifth year – though we first learned about it in second year, when we were twelve."

"What potion?" Julian asked curiously. Sometimes Harry's potions were just completely insane.

"Strengthening solution. If a normal wizard took it, they would end up immensely strong for a few hours with no adverse side effects when it wore off."

Julian's eyes widened. "Do you have any stock?"

Harry sighed. "No. It has to be brewed in two stages but anyone who passed a Potions OWL should be able to brew it. It has to mature after the first stage – so it's five days total minimum. But that's not my problem."

"What's your problem?" Julian asked.

"I have enough supplies for, oh, quite a number of doses. But one ingredient is Salamander blood. I know they exist here so that wouldn't be hard to make sustainable. The other ingredient is griffin claw. I am certain that there aren't any griffins in this timeline to replace that ingredient when it's gone."

"How much does it use?" Julian asked.

Harry thought back. "A teaspoon of ground griffin claw, not much really but it is preciously bought."

"Do you have a sample? We could scan it and search to see if there are any possible alternates in our database."

Harry sighed. "That's something I planned on working on long term – finding replacement ingredients for potions. But when does she arrive?"

"Four days," Julian said.

"I'm going to go do the first step of brewing. Tomorrow I'll bring a sample of griffin claw for you to scan. Let's hope there is something that can be found to replace it." Harry turned and quickly went to set up his brewing station.

BY the end of the day, Harry had a cauldron of the potion and it was set to mature. When it was done being brewed, he would have eight doses.

The next day, Harry went to Julian with a very small vial of ground griffin claw and a small unground claw as well. Julian scanned it and returned it. "The chemical structure is slightly unusual. On Earth, a number of species have the same basic structure to their claws or hoofs or fingernails. What I've done is to analyze not only the chemical structure but the way it is formed, what would be it's crystalline structure if it was crystal. Somehow, I get the idea that form might be more important than composition."

Harry considered that. "You might be right. Worst case: We don't find any replacement. Best case: It's easily accessible. The worst thing that can happen is that if fails."

"Right." He looked at the computer. "Come back in six hours?"

Harry nodded – there were other things he could do.

* * *

When he came back later, Julian was excited. "It came up with a possible match."

"Oh?" Harry asked. "What is it?"

"A Vulcan Sehlet – their horns and their claws both, but the claws are likely to have the structural similarity."

Harry moved to the computer. "Call up a screen shot?"

Julian did so and up popped an image. Harry peered at it. "Entirely land based – the Griffin is a mixture of lion and eagle and so runs and flies; its claws have to be very strong to not break. How much does a sehlet have to endure?"

Julian called up another page. "This is the Vulcan Forge – wild sehlets survive there." Julian read out the extreme circumstances which existed in the forge.

Harry nodded. "If anything is likely a good substitution for griffin claw, that's got to be it." Harry's eyes lit up. "Dobby and Winky are a couple days from Vulcan on their way to the Science Directorate. I'll ask them to obtain wild sehlet claw, hopefully from an aminal that live in the Forge."

Julian was dubious. "Perhaps I should inquire – it will be more plausible from a Starfleet member."

Harry shrugged. "Whatever works."


	12. Potion and Ingredients

Three days later, Harry was with Julian as he welcomed Lt. Melora Pazlar to Deep Space 9. He had one comment which he said under his breath to Julian. "Yeah. There's no way her race evolved in low gravity – they had to have gone there."

Julian rolled his eyes even as he walked forward. "Lt. Pazlar! Welcome to Deep Space 9."

She looked at the man. "You are …."

"Dr. Julian Bashir, Chief Medical Officer of Deep Space 9. I am the one who has been coordinating your equipment and modifications for your requirements."

The woman was mostly polite. "I see. I wasn't aware that my needs were deemed a medical condition." Harry noted the resentment. Julian's face flashed a sudden loss of composure.

Harry intervened by snorting in amusement – which refocused the woman's ire. "Is that funny?"

"Kind of. Julian got assigned because he's the Doctor – but I imagine Julian would have been assigned anyway. He's the member of the Command Staff with the most flexible schedule and he's extremely intelligent. The last assignment he had to watch over visitors? Three Federation Ambassadors. I would guess Julian considered you a walking medical condition as much as he considered the Vulcan, Bolian, and Arbazan Ambassadors walking medical conditions." Harry paused. "Although you do bear a passing resemblance to the Arbazan Ambassador: Quite beautiful but pretty exacting in her requirements."

Pazlar was taken aback. "You are …"

"Sorry. I'm a resident, Sir Harry Potter of Earth. I'm a friend of his and he's been excited for your visit for days." She glanced at Julian, who looked sheepish. "He was giddy and I finally cornered him four days ago to find out why. I wanted to meet the woman he's been waiting so impatiently for."

"I see. Well, I am Lt. Melora Pazlar, a Starfleet cartographer." The woman had finally composed herself. She turned to Julian and said, "I hope I have satisfied your curiosity sufficiently, Doctor Bashir."

Harry rolled his eyes at the woman's 'I'll not be a victim' attitude. Harry already considered her kind of a bitch. Julian maintained his demeanor.

"Oh, everything is fine. I've set up your quarters as requested and have your equipment over here – blame the Cardassians for making it impossible to bring it right to the docking port for you to use."

She nodded and gritted her way until she was out of the docking area. "Why are there two?"

Julian was enthusiastic. "The one on the left is the one you specified precisely. The one on the right I have modified to take into account the larger than average Cardassian threshold. They seemed to take delight in making passage uncomfortable."

Pazlar arrived at the two and sat down in the one that she had specified. "I don't want to seem ungrateful – but I am used to this one."

Julian looked morose and Harry crowed. "I told you!" He whipped out his wand and shrunk the second one and handed it to Julian. "If she changed her mind, I can restore it for you."

The woman looked at them in confusion. "What is this about – and what did you do?"

Harry grinned at her. "Julian started thinking about how he could make things better – he's puppy-like in his enthusiasm. I suggested that you'd be upset if he made changes without permission and he should provide what was asked. Julian and the rest around here are far from condescending – but you seem prepared to be a bitch to everyone because you're tired of the normal condescension. Anyway, I was just needling Julian about me being right and him being wrong – my daily dose of schadenfreude. I will leave you to him. Have a good day, Leftenant."

He stepped away and then paused and looked back. "Oh. And as to how I did that: I'm a wizard." He then walked on. He reflected that he didn't know why he used the traditional British pronunciation right then.

* * *

Early the next morning, Harry got up early and moved to the remaining steps of brewing the solution. After checking that it was the appropriate color and texture, he fired up the small burner and continued on the next steps.

During a suitable rest point, he notified Julian that the solution would be available later that day. He then completed the potion. Thinking back to his education, he then brewed another potion, the Strength potion.

He hadn't considered it because most many using snake parts didn't work on him anymore. Blame the basilisk. That being said, the Strength potion was even easier to brew. It could be brewed by a first year, a first year Gryffindor. The ingredients were just rarer.

As he packaged up his potions, he mused that he would have to talk to the Paqu about growing the plants needed for Standard Ingredient. Standard Ingredient was a combination of several plants, used either crushed or as sold. It was used in many applications and how it was combined had made one family having the formula rich.

Harry's eyes widened as he realized something. He stopped on his way to Sickbay but then decided he could do his test later. If he was right … he chuckled. A question he had long pondered might just be answered soon.

* * *

He cheerfully made his way to Sickbay. As he entered, Julian was stoically working. "Sir Harry," he said distantly.

Harry looked at him. "Don't tell me – she didn't budge."

He was about to say something when a call came in. "Dax to Bashir." Harry rolled his eyes as he heard how the idiot Elaysian had hurt herself trying to push too hard. Julian treated the wound and kept his professional demeanor. Harry was impressed because he would have ripped into her.

"Since you are not going to be going on your mission today, you can observe some tests that I have to complete for something Harry provided me."

"What tests and for what?"

Harry said, "My people are magical Humans – they don't exist in this dimension. But we made magical potions and I brought a whole bunch of ingredients. And while we'll have to search for alternate ingredients in this dimension for large amounts, Juian was enthusiastic about Strengthening Solution – something which can give a user extreme strength for a limited time. I also brewed Strength Potion, which is a different potion."

Julian immediately went to the vials Harry had brought. One was orange, one was turquoise. "How are they different?"

Harry shrugged. "The Strength Potion is easier to brew but more expensive in terms of ingredients. The Strengthening Solution is much harder to brew but relies on easier ingredients. How long they work? I don't know. The solution – turquoise – should be tested on me first. You can scan me and see what's happening. And then tomorrow – or on a different person – try the potion (the orange one) and see what happens with that."

Julian nodded. "Let me scan you first, and this 'Strengthening Solution'."

"Have at it," Harry said while sitting on a biobed.

Melora watched as Julian scanned Harry and had him perform a few simple spells to check his magical pathways. Federation scanners didn't break down with magic use around them.

Julian nodded. "Everything seems normal – well, normal for you."

"Good."

"Now. This solution." Julian scanned the solution with his tricorder and even went so far as to put a small amount on a slide and scanned it with a microscope. "Somehow, this contains a similar energy to what you put out naturally in much larger amounts."

Melora asked, "Is it exotic?"

Julian, reading the screen, said absently, "Not really. It's normally a background radiation throughout the cosmos. Sir Harry's body seems to gather and produce it in extreme quantities. We don't have records of any race which has the same ability, but it has been found in extreme levels in some very random circumstances."

Harry chuckled. "Which ended badly for a number of them."

"Yes. But that doesn't mean that is _always_ true."

Harry shrugged cheerfully.

Julian finally said, "Nothing in this is poisonous. So – bottoms up. You drink it and I'll scan you to see what happens."

Harry nodded and accepted the vial. "Bottoms up." He uncapped it and quickly drank it down, scrunching his face at the taste.

"I take it that it has an unpleasant taste," Julian commented with amusement.

Harry sighed. "Almost all potions do – at least the useful one."

Harry lay there and allowed Julian to do his scans. His expression was enthusiastic interest. "You adrenalin levels are increasing rapidly, though your heartrate is not being affected extremely. I'm also reading increased acetylcholine production, though not massively." He looked around. "Can you go and lift that up while I keep scanning?"

Harry shrugged and carefully stood up. He didn't feel all that different. He was careful about pressing against anything or manipulating anything. He went over and lifted up the heavy table.

Julian said loudly, "I meant the chair!"

Harry looked at him – he was holding the table easily though it was a bit unwieldy. "I'll stay here and you scan."

Julian did so. "The readings are … I had not expected that."

"How does it marry up to that research you were doing?"

Julian said, "There is an increased acetylcholine level and absorption, but not as much as the research indicated was needed. Your body's magical field is more active – or that's what I assume is the case. Not all of what you're doing can be accounted for by the chemical changes."

Harry set down the table and then, carefully, conjured a barbell. "Scan that – how much does it weigh?"

Julian did the scan. "It is approximately 14 kilograms."

"Thirty pounds. Okay. I'll lift it at five minute intervals. We'll see how long this lasts."

"Okay."

* * *

Julian did the tests and they found that the strength reduced after one hour forty minutes. By two hours, Harry was back to normal.

"Okay. Tomorrow, we'll do the other potion." He looked at Lt. Paxler. "Have fun with the puppy."

"He's my doctor?" she said.

"Not really anymore – he completed the setups and did the healing. Now he's just Julian." Harry wanted to get out of there and it was obvious.

The Elaysian woman stopped him. "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure," Harry said easily.

"Why were you so obnoxious yesterday?" she asked archly.

Harry said with a smirk, "I decided that if you expected someone to be an arse, I'd be the arse and Julian could be the understanding and helpful one. Julian is remarkably determined when he decides he should be. You can be a bitch to him, but he won't back off. I thought I'd bypass that whole step and let you be a bitch to me. Anwway … later!" Harry quickly left.

* * *

Lt. Pazlar looked at the door for a long moment and then looked at Julian. "Am I really that bad?"

Julian smiled. "No. But Sir Harry is a bit more … vocal, I guess is the best way to put it, about what he sees. He's also more cynical about social interactions than most. He readily admits this. He also is more wiling to be offended than most Humans of this day and age."

"So you don't agree with him?" she asked.

Julian considered for a long moment. "No," he answered honestly. "I don't." Later, Harry would comment that Julian was far more accepting than he could ever be.

The Elaysian woman let the Human doctor take her to the new Klingon restaurant. He learned that she knew more about Klingon food than he did.

* * *

Harry, however, was not thinking about Julian Bashir or Melora Pazlar at all. He was back in his quarters cooking a meal. When he was done, he served himself. And it was just as wonderful as he had expected it to be. Harry thoroughly enjoyed his meal. He then packaged up a few containers and brought them to Ops.

Commander Sisko saw him. "Sir Harry. How can I help you?"

Harry glanced around. "I was doing a cooking experiment. Have you or your crew eaten lunch? I want you to give me your opinion."

"I haven't eaten – the other staff members have."

Harry shrugged. "You and Jake – that will be a good test. Maybe Nog too if he's available."

Benjamin gave his resident knight a small smile. "I suppose I wouldn't say no to being treated to a meal."

"Come on. Let's grab the boys – I really want to see how they like this."

* * *

It didn't take long and soon Benjamin Sisko, Jake Sisko, and Nog were seated in a private area at Quarks – Harry didn't need it too private. He served the three his meal.

All three ate it – quickly. Sisko looked up. "This is _very_ good. Surprisingly good. Not what I was expecting from soup and a pork cutlet."

Nog nodded enthusiastically. "This is as almost as good as snail steak. Maybe even as good." He quickly ate the meal.

Jake Sisko just made a few noises and quickly rushed through the food.

Harry sat back and watched, shocked. Of all the things, he had not been expecting that.

Finally, Sisko finished his meal and asked, "That was an exceptional meal. What did you do?"

Harry sighed. "When I was a teenager, I used to visit my best friend's family – I stayed with them a number of times. I almost married the daughter, in fact, though that fell apart after our war. But Mrs. Weasley was widely acknowledged as one of the best cooks in Magical Britain. No one who ate her food _ever_ had a bad word to say about it. And while I might not know all of her recipes, I think I just figured out one of her secrets."

Sisko motioned toward the empty plates and bowls. "You used what you found on the food?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

Sisko gave a small grin. "Well, if she cooked like that, I can't imagine anyone complaining."

Jake piped up, "Me neither!" Nog nodded enthusiastically.

Harry grinned. "I agree. Her food was absolutely wonderful."

Sisko asked, "So what was the secret?"

Harry opened his mouth, paused, and then said, "For the moment, I'm going to keep it to myself." Harry farewelled the three and made his way back to his quarters.

* * *

One thing he had done when he started thinking about potions was to analyze Standard Ingredient using Federation scanners. And when he was done, he couldn't believe how common the ingredients really were. All it took was growing them, drying them, and then processing them to a common consistency. The combination could be ground together then if needed.

Harry suspected that the combination had originated as a food additive because all of the herbs were commonly used in cooking now. Someone had likely tried to convince a gullible possible customer and just happened to find that the ingredient _did_ produce a magical effect.

That formula was a closely held secret but the combination was inexpensive. Many, many potions used Standard Ingredient and it was kept in quantity by anyone who regularly brewed them. Harry had mused that if people knew the truth, only people who were inordinately conscientious about funds would make their own version – the family only got a small profit from each dose. The family had obviously gone for quantity over quality and wanted it as widely used as possible.

One Harry had determined the ingredients, he had guessed that the very process used to make it too consistently mixed to determine individual ingredients is exactly why it was so consistent in reaction for potions: A brewer never had to worry it was incorrectly prepared. And Harry now realized this was why Mrs. Weasley always seemed to be buying potion ingredients. She wasn't brewing potions – she was cooking dinner.

Mrs. Weasley's food had kept a family of seven healthy and strong. The Weasleys, as a group, were far outside the norm of magical Britain. Each one of them was a powerhouse in their own way, even the bookish Percy. Harry had always wondered what it was that made Mrs. Weasley's food so great. Standard Ingredient seemed to be at least a part of the answer.

Harry wanted to keep potion brewing alive. He would need to ensure that this ingredient was grown and made. He thought of the Paqu – but there could be problems with that.

The Paqu might consider themselves too busy to grow the plants. He would make arrangements to see Sul and ask her who he should next do business with that wouldn't alienate her. He mused that Earth might be a better choice – all of the ingredients were used in Earth cooking …

Something to think about.

Harry had to admit that a number of potions would violate the morality of the Federation. Some used parts which meant the animals would have to be killed. Where Harry was from, the Muggles would have found the Wizards normal in most things and slightly barbaric in some things. Members of Starfleet, however, would find quite a number of potion-gathering procedures _entirely_ barbaric.

This was something he was going to have to confront at some point at least.

Replicated ingredients could not always replace natural – there were too many quantum errors. Real animals would have to be grown and then be killed for liver and bile and bones and other parts. Snake teeth and animal claws could come from some live subjects but teeth could not.

Still, at least he could have truly enjoyable food for himself and those he and his elves fed.

* * *

The next morning, Harry was back in Sickbay. Julian was there alone. "Where's our observer?"

Julian said lightly, "She's doing some work to prepare for her trip to the Gamma quadrant."

"Okay. Well, I'm here to let you test the Strength Potion – see how it works."

"Sit on the biobed."

Harry was treated to a redo of the day before. The potion lasted a bit longer, but he also didn't get as much of a strength boost.

"I don't know if that's a product of the different potion or how it affects me or because I had the other potion yesterday," Harry said.

Julian replied, "There seems to be no specific chemical reactions I could see which were because of the solution yesterday."

"How did it work?" Harry asked.

Julian looked down at the screen. "This reaction seems to give the bone strength and increase a few other chemical processes. However, I would guess that you can't use this too often?"

Harry thought back. "We were warned not to allow it to be used more than once every three days."

"There would be a toxic buildup of one of the chemicals if you used it too often. Saturation would be reached after … three doses I think."

"So four would be toxic," Harry surmised.

"Yes."

"But it's a more controlled reaction too."

Julian sighed. "Yes. Like neuromuscular adaptation, it could be enormously effective – and have tremendous limits too."

"What are the limitations on your neuro … whatever you said?"

Julian smiled. "Neuromuscular adaptation. Once the treatment is started – no low gravity until it's finished. Or the person would be permanently unable to receive the treatment again."

Harry considered. "How about a feather-weight charm?"

"Demonstrate?"

Harry cast a charm on the chair and it floated. Julian scanned it and said, "The chair seems to be immune to almost all gravitons." He read his tri-corder. "That would count as low-gravity."

Harry considered. "Actually, that charm is for objects. Mobilicorpus is for people." Harry glanced around. "No people to demonstrate on."

Julian considered. "Does it lift the body or make it as though the body is on a platform?"

Harry considered that. "I think it lifts the body."

Julian called over a crewmember and had him light down. "Whatever you do – don't resist." Julian then motioned toward the nervous crew member. "Go ahead."

Harry sighed. He looked at the crewmember. "We're testing the effect of my magic – how it actually performs certain functions. I'm going to levitate you." Harry cast the charm.

Julian scanned the crewmember quickly. "It's the same as the feather light but it's affecting the body. The clothes are affected to a lesser degree."

Harry cancelled the charm. "Thank you." The crewman nodded … and then fled.

Julian commented, "I could have been a bit less casual, I suppose."

"You think?" Harry said with humor.

Julian shook his head and got cheerful again. "Anyway. Can we test the potions on Melora?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know if they'll work but we can try them. Probably the solution. We can try both of course." Harry paused. "Do you think she'll be okay if it doesn't work?" He was worried.

Julian sighed. "I talked to her about it. It's less for her and more for her people. We want to see how it would affect them and measure how much of a difference it will take. She's interested but she hates being treated as lesser."

Harry scoffed. "She deliberately goes where she has to overcome limitations. She's not lesser – she just has a chip on her shoulder."

Julian nodded. "Yes. She does. She actually apologized for that."

Harry shrugged. "It's her life. Anyway. I'll do whatever but I can provide the potions – right now. In the future, it will depend on finding alternate ingredients."

Julian nodded. "Thank you. If I need further help in testing, I will let you know."

Harry replied, "You can handle any possible toxicity or side effects. Magic won't do much to help more on it." With that, he left Julian to it.

In the end, Julian attempted the treatment that had come out of the research 30 years earlier. It had started to work but an attempted hijacking had exposed Lt. Paxlar to Low-Gravity again, preventing it from working or ever working again. The Low-G had, however, allowed Paxlar to overcome the hijacker.

The Strengthening Solution did produce a result – for a limited time. Harry gifted her, through Julian, the 6 doses remaining from his brewing. She could use them however she liked and keep them in stasis otherwise.

Harry promised to try to come up with an alternate using Alpha Quadrant ingredients. He also refused to comment on the fact that she seemed to use one of them for a night with Julian under normal Gravity. It wasn't his business.


	13. Krim Aldos Arrives

A/N: In answer to reviewers: Harry was being a nosy busybody and, yes, I deliberately left it canon with Bashir sleeping with the woman. Bashir was a bit of a horndog in DS9. Harry certainly enjoys sex but I'm not covering all of his relationships. I'm now old – talking about sex just to talk about it isn't as fun as it used to be. To be honest, Julian's tendency to sleep with his (ex-)patients was always kind of squicky to me. But then again, what choice does he have? EVERYONE on the station is technically his patient. Doctors go out with former patients – I've gotten over it. Still, the time periods aren't separate enough for my morals. Besides, the way I wrote it Harry really didn't like her that much – he was just being nice when he gave her the potions. Besides, he already brewed them and it wasn't a potion he kept on hand – why I don't know. He does still have the other doses of Strength Potion.

Krim arrived to Deep Space 9, having completed all responsibilities he had from his time in the Militia. Harry was waiting for him as he arrived. "General Krim. Welcome back to Deep Space 9."

"Thank you." Krim gave a slight smirk. "It is a more pleasant welcome than the last time I arrived."

Harry laughed. "I imagine so. At least you know where everyone is."

Krim have a minute shrug. "A much less unnerving presentation." He became a bit more serious. "Thank you for giving me time after making your offer. A number of issues as regards Minister Jaro and his work out of the public view had to be clarified. Those dealing with Jaro wanted every detail I could provide."

The two men started walking toward Harry's quarters. Harry glanced around. "Do you mind if I enact security?" Krim indicated no so a spell was cast. "Anyone attempting to listen in will hear unidentifiable buzzing."

Krim looked impressed. "Useful."

Harry nodded. "Can I ask what you knew of the Circle's activities before you resigned?"

Krim sighed. He had promised to give a full explanation, so he repleid, "I was aware that there were weapons being gathered – I was not aware where they were or who was providing them. I testified as to how the final arming was planned." Krim paused. "There was another matter I wanted to express my gratitude on."

"Oh?" Harry asked curiously.

Krim gave a sardonic smile. "The Ministers were … quite interested that I was removing myself from Bajor and its surrounds. In the end, the decision was made that my new employment was, in effect, me accepting exile. I believe that they stopped attempting to incarcerate me because of that."

Harry rolled his eyes. "That's just the politicians being idiots." He glanced at Krim. "Do you know why I am hiring you?"

Krim said, "Why don't you explain?"

Harry smiled. "I am hiring you because you are a man of principle. When the government wanted to interfere with our work with the reclamation, you took the less convenient approach of increasing the guards, even though this pulled people from other concerns. But you did it because it was better for Bajor and its people. You were loyal until you those you were loyal too proved faithless. And instead of violently taking revenge, you declared yourself. I prefer the people I work with being up front."

"Up front?" Krim asked.

Harry recognized the normal reaction to having used an idiom from the twentieth century. "Not hiding behind a façade; honest in presentation."

Krim said with his sardonic tone, "Unlike Jaro hiding behind the image of being loyal to the people."

"Unlike most politicians."

Krim nodded in understanding. "However one looks at it, I am now free – as long as I make my way away from Bajoran space as soon as is opportune."

Harry smirked. "Right. You will be traveling to Earth space. There you will report to the man who is overseeing my interests."

"And that is?" Krim asked.

"You have already met him: Prince William Windsor."

"Ah. That is … unexpected."

Harry was confused. "I don't know why that is surprising; you knew of my relationship when we met."

"You told me of the interests of the Royal Family and their work on the project. All I was aware of was that you answered to King Charles of Great Britain as regards the project."

Harry sighed. "Weren't you told my history when you were sent to speak to me?"

"The relevant aspects as regards the reclamation project were explained," Krim said.

Harry covered his eyes briefly. "Merlin's beard! How incompetent could they be?"

Krim was confused. "I don't understand."

Harry removed the privacy spell and then activated his badge. "Potter to Kira."

"Go ahead."

"Major? Do you have a record of the briefing that you sent the Bajoran government as regards my appearance in this timeline somewhere accessible?"

There was a pause. "I did keep a copy in my private files but they aren't generally accessible due to security. Those would have to be accessed with my permission and within Ops or another secure place on the station."

"I have Krim Aldos who is now working for me. I thought he was given the full briefing – he wasn't. Would you be willing to let him read/listen to what you have so he knows who he's working for?"

Kira's voice was amused. "Sure. Send him up to me."

"Thank you, Major. He'll be there soon." He turned off his badge. "Do you remember the way to Ops?"

Krim nodded. "I will be back after seeing the reports."

"Good. When you're finished, ask Major Kira how to get to my quarters so we can finish our conversation."

* * *

An hour later Krim arrived to his door. After opening it and inviting him in, Harry asked, "Was that informative?"

Krim was a bit wild eyed. "It was a very informative report."

Harry motioned him to the table. "I've cook a meal – Major Kira likes most of this and I hope it is acceptable for you." Krim nodded and quickly sat. "Anyway. I take it you now are aware of more information."

"Yes." Krim looked at the drinks. "What are these?"

"A dry white wine, a sweet bubbly drink called cola, a sweetened citrus drink called lemonade, and plain water. Take your pick. Whatever you don't drink will stay fresh so nothing will be wasted."

Krim actually poured himself some wine and some water. "What is this?" he asked after the food.

Harry pointed at the various portions. "This is called potato – a root vegetable that can be cooked in a number of ways but I have them mashed here because it is easy. I've added a bit of olive oil and an herb called chives on top. This is cooked broccoli, a type of vegetable related to Earth cabbage, prepared with grated parmesan, a type of cheese, on top. This is a basic salad made with spinach (the leafy vegetable), mushrooms (a fungus widely eaten on Earth), cherry tomatoes (the red fruit), green onions (the green non-leafy bits), and black olives (a small pitted fruit). That is mildly sweet oil and vinegar dressing which you can add to taste. Salt and ground peppercorn can be added to taste as well, though small amounts were used to cook the meal and you likely won't need to add more. The main entrée is called sirloin steak from an Earth cow. It is cooked medium rare, a slight pinkness to it so that it's still a bit juicy. And, if that isn't enough, for afters I have a tapioca pudding with ground cinnamon and nutmeg added."

Krim looked at the spread. "A generous meal."

Harry chuckled. "Thank you but it's nothing compared to what would be available if my elves were not on assignment to Vulcan." Krim looked skeptical but Harry's expression indicated that he was not exaggerating.

The two men didn't speak as they ate the meal. And when it was done, Krim sat back. "That was ... quite a meal."

Harry smiled. "Thank you. I cooked it as a 'welcome to my employ' gesture." Harry pulled his wand. "Let me clear up." Harry cast the spells and Krim watched in some small amazement as everything disappeared into the kitchen area and even the dishes starting washing themselves.

Harry poured a bit of the wine. "Now, to verify: You are now apprised of my arrival and abilities?"

Krim replied, "Yes. I was more skeptical before that little show."

Harry grinned. "I know – one reason I did it. I should ask Sisko to show you what I gave him before your attempted takeover."

"What did you give him?"

Harry chuckled. "I can't tell you without his permission. Even I am limited by my magic."

Krim sat back and took a sip of his wine. "I was a bit surprised that you were not here when the Militia was sent to take over, given your claimed skills."

Harry sighed. "My king had me in detention – he wanted to chide me for acting without permission."

"In what manner?" Krim asked.

Harry said in a dry tone, "I cloaked a Federation runabout with my magic, flew to Cardassia IV, invaded the Hutet labor camp, transported all Bajoran prisoners out, flew back out of Bajoran space and, having provided some basic care en-route, came back with Li Nalas and the other freed prisoners to Deep Space 9. All without having alerted the Cardassians that I had even been there."

Krim stilled completely. He then asked in a careful tone, "You did this all alone?"

"No," Harry scoffed. Krim relaxed a bit too soon. "I brought Kira Nerys as a co-pilot although I didn't tell her where we were going until we had already left Deep Space 9. And I had my elves helping as well – they _could_ have done all the rescuing without me if I had asked them to but I wanted to make sure they didn't suffer any accidental damage."

Krim looked at Harry as though trying to gauge his honestly. When he saw Harry's utter sincerity he dropped back in his chair. "I see that there was more than just the source of the weapons which wasn't explained to me."

Harry half shrugged. "Politicians … what can you expect?" He casually took another sip of his drink.

Krim quickly reordered his perceptions and the assumptions he had made regarding his new employer. "What will my duties be?" he finally asked.

"Chief of Security to Sir Harry Potter of the Royal Household of Great Britain."

"Royal household?"

"I was named Knight of the Thistle on Earth before I arrived to this timeline. The current head of the British Royal family confirmed my status when I reported to him." Harry took a sip of his wine. "King Charles was also quite interested in the vast stores of seeds I had brought from my home. World War III and its aftermath decimated Earth and caused widespreak extinction of Earth plants."

Krim was curious. "Earth is famous for being, perhaps, the richest planet in the known galaxy in terms of diversity of plant and animal species."

Harry nodded. "On the Earth I come from, four centuries removed from this one, there were hundreds of thousands of plant species. And 90 percent of them were flowering types."

"How many species did you bring?"

Harry sighed. "Only about thirty thousand."

Krim was impressed. "Thirty thousand?"

Harry chuckled. "The woman who helped me prepare to jump was extremely detailed in everything she did. I was provided with enough species to recreate any ecosystem which might be appropriate. Admittedly, for the vast majority of species, I have only about a hundred seeds or so. For food plants, I have much more. Anything in wide use I have a _lot_ of. I can't tell you how much grass seed I brought. I had a few hundred apple seed types, numerous tomato seed types, etc, etc. A lot of what I had brought had been lost. And much of what I had was concentrated from Great Britain, the exact area Charles wanted to reseed.

"Hermione also created seed sets for numerous different environments. I brought hundreds of cacti seeds, for example, for desert environments. I have aquatic sets, both salt and fresh, cold environment sets, tropical, sub-tropical, rain forest – those are large collections – and others too. Hermione wanted to make certain no matter where I ended up I could have a touch of home."

Krim said, "This must have cost a fortune."

Harry shrugged. "I come from money. And Queen Elizabeth, an alternate to King Charles' own ancestor, was quite supportive." Harry looked away and in a thoughtful tone said, "I think I knew I was not going back and was enthusiastic about bringing it all with me." He lost that distant tone. "Nevertheless – Charles was impressed with what I had brought and immediately added me to the Royal Household."

"Royal household? How does that work?" Krim asked intently.

"The Royal House of Windsor is the traditional ruler of Great Britain. Since the Eugenics Wars, England had no king, or had pretenders. When matters were finally resolved, the descendants of the Royal House of Windsor, kept safe by loyal Britons, were returned. But it was decided that they would not rule, even in the limited fashion they had before the wars. They were honored as the traditional head of the Kingdom and Commonwealth, given the power to verify honors, and other than that, pretty much ignored."

Harry smirked. "They took their status as royalty seriously. They began to work to recover Great Britain and to ensure it was cleaned up and thrived. All of the families who were acknowledged by the Windsor family were of a similar type, a type that still believed in noblesse oblige, the belief that those of noble birth had a responsibility toward those they led and those who were less privileged. As a result, they became acknowledged as the caretakers of Great Britain and other places as well."

"A family of true nobility," Krim observed.

Harry chuckled. "We had a saying: Blood will tell. It was usually used to acknowledge that bad families tended to stay bad. But it also was a tacit belief that good families stayed good. Britons used to believe in the idea of a noble class. It wasn't a caste system – the Indians used to have that, much the same as Bajor used to have. Class can be achieved, caste is forever. I tend to agree with the rejection of the concept of caste."

Krim sighed. "It isn't politically sound to say this but if there was one thing the Cardassians did do for the Bajoran people, it was to completely destroy the caste system. We did not begin to achieve our freedom again until we let go the idea that only certain people could fight."

Harry nodded and with some empathy said, "You could honestly say that it wasn't the Cardassians that destroyed the caste system – it was your people recognizing the fundamental truth that all of your people were fundamentally equal."

"Perhaps," Krim acknowledged. He sipped his drink in contemplation.

After a few moments, Harry focused the meeting again. "Anyway. I was made a part of the Royal Household and given diplomatic status. I don't enjoy the same level as Federation ambassadors and so forth, but I do enjoy a certain freedom. Part of that is my unique skill set. My elves, as my retainers, also enjoy a diplomatic status."

Krim worked that into his mind and finally asked, "Would I have a diplomatic status as a part of your household?"

Harry grimaced slightly. "In name but not with much practicality. You know how the Federation tends to respect the races they deal with, but are fundamentally arrogant as regards their superiority?" Krim raised a sardonic eyebrow. "I know – not polite to mention but true to a certain degree. I managed to get my diplomatic status, and that of my elves, approved by the Federation as what I brought was useful to them as well. You don't enjoy the same level of recognition, but you will be acknowledged as working for a free agent of some status. That will open a few doors, but not many."

Harry considered. "Come to think of it, it will probably be the equivalent of being a high-ranking member of the Bajoran militia when dealing with non-Bajoran governments."

Krim thought about it. "I guess I can live with that. So what will my official title be?"

"Chief of Security to Sir Harry Potter, a Knight of the Thistle, member of the Royal Household of the House of Windsor, Great Britain, Earth." Harry paused. "Chief of Security to Sir Harry Potter in the short form."

"And my salary?" Harry gave a number. "Although you will receive different currencies including Federation credits, Bajoran Lita, and even gold-pressed latinum. Somehow, the Ferengi are on the way to becoming the money-changers of the galaxy and they prefer latinum. It spends in almost every society. Even Klingons, who prefer their talons and darseks, accept equivalent value in latinum."

Krim considered. "Well, it will be a long time until I will be free to return to Bajor. Perhaps it is best to keep things in Federation credits. Although a guarantee in terms of exchange would ease my mind."

Harry replied, "I can do that. I have a contract which you may want to get reviewed by a legal expert of your choice." He mused that lawyers would always exist – much like cockroaches.

Harry pulled a small isolinear chip out. "It's Federation but I figured Cardassian isolinear rods, such as are common on DS9, might not be your preference."

Krim accepted the chip. "I will contact a Federation lawyer as well as have a Bajoran lawyer review it."

"I expected that." Harry pulled a small pouch out. "This is a small fee for your time. We've pretty much agreed to your position – we're just working out details. This will allow you to get a room and eat while the process completes."

Krim said in his normal sardonic tone, "I _do_ have my own currency."

"Yes – but you're basically working for me now. Expenses are a part of what has to be paid for."

Krim handed the pouch back. "I will expect the expenses covered – after the contract is signed. I cannot act as a free agent if you are paying for my needs."

Harry sighed as he accepted the small pouch. "I am hiring you because you're a man of principle. I should have expected this response."

Krim stood up and put out his hand. "Thank you for your time, Sir Harry."

"Thank you for your interest, General Krim." _General_ was a courtesy according to the rules of etiquette and Harry used it now to acknowledge Krim's point about still being a free agent.

* * *

Two days later, Krim showed up again. "I have determined that the contract is acceptable," was his only comment.

"Good." Harry got the quill out. "I'll need you to sign with this. I will also use this quill." He did so.

Krim quickly signed his name. "Why this quill?"

Harry made a copy and gave it over. "Because it uses a tiny bit of blood and makes it binding."

Krim commented without emotion, "You did not tell me this beforehand."

"Yes. But the contract does explain that I may require you to use magical devices and/or techniques. This is one of them."

Krim considered that and then nodded to concede that was true. "What affect does this have?"

Harry said, "If you deliberately violate the contract, everything you learned of me, my elves, and my plans will disappear. It also prevents telepathic species from scanning you as regards what is covered. Your pay will be affected as stated in the contract in case of a breach. But I am also constrained – I will also be forced to be faithful to you by my own signature."

Krim considered that. "That actually gives me some ease." He paused. "I noticed you said deliberate violation."

"If you are going to accidentally violate it, you will get an immediate sense of unease and a prickling sensation where you felt the signature."

"I see. So. Why is security so important?"

Harry stood up. "I have something I want you to see. And then I will answer."

"What am I to see?"

Harry grinned. "It's a form of Earth entertainment from centuries ago. It's called television."

* * *

Harry provided snacks and drinks while what he wanted to show was viewed. They watched four hours.

When it was over Krim looked at Harry. "That was quite the show. Rather low-tech in it's making."

Harry nodded. "It was made on my version of Earth before they could do anything more than launch satellites and send one or two into space. We didn't have artificial gravity technology. If you need a break take one now, I want to show you something else."

Krim spent a short time in the refresher and then watched the additional video. When it was done he said, "I don't understand."

"The first was a redo of this program. But what I really wanted to show you was the ship."

Krim turned and looked at Harry. "Why did I need to see the ship?"

Harry sighed. "There is something coming. There is going to be wide scale war. And I am not the type to be able to stay out of it. While I want a personal ship, as promised by the King, which I can fly around and use to help those that I wish to help and move things I wish to move, what I really want to do is to get designed and built a version of the ship we saw on the screen."

Krim was shocked. "Ignoring a number of problems, that would take _billions_ of credits."

Harry nodded. "One reason I have involved myself in a number of profit making ventures. And what I really need to do right now is to allow the Engineers back on Earth to work out what magical shortcuts can be made to create the ship. Already Lars has come up with a rune sequence he wants me to test which should be a magical version of a bussard collector to collect interstellar gasses. Sometime in the next months, I will be coming back to Earth to power up a number of magical inventions. Lars has also thought about creating a magical version of a magnetic bottle."

Krim asked, "Why would that be important?"

Harry said, "Because if he's right, my ship wouldn't need to have a powered system to contain anti-matter. Anti-matter containment accounts for the vast majority of warp-core breaches. The ships using magical tech will hopefully be much less susceptible."

Krim was utterly speechless for a long moment. Finally he said, "That would change everything."

Harry nodded grimly. "And this is why I need absolute secrecy. I want to get a very large ship designed and built and ready to utterly scare the crap out of whatever power is coming – because there absolutely is _something _coming."


	14. Harry Hears about the Dominion

Harry saw Krim off on a ship heading toward Earth.

In the days following, he noticed that the Ferengi were a bit more frenetic than normal. And then he saw the tall, goofy looking Alien which served the head poobah and knew that Quark would be useless until whatever business which brought him there was completed.

He did find out that the Ferengi Grand Nagus (that was the title, Harry mused when Sisko used it) had gifted Bajor one of the fertilizers that could replenish large tracts of land. But that wasn't what was truly distracting about his talk with Sisko.

What was distracting was that the Grand Nagus had used Quark and a business deal to uncover that there was a higher authority in something called the Dominion within the Gamma Quadrant.

The Dominion seemed to be aware of the wormhole – they did some business with the Ferengi and others. But they had not made themselves known.

This worried Harry … a lot.

Dominion implied that someone held the power to rule and the rulers, and possible the ruled, were faithful to that idea. The Dominion of Canada, he remembered back on Earth, held respect for the Queen that no longer ruled them directly. If the Queen called, many of them would follow.

This "Dominion" of the Gamma quadrant seemed to actively follow someone or something. And they were not being forthcoming about who or what, and many of the members didn't appear to know. That fact implied at least three levels: Ruler(s), administrators, the ruled.

Why didn't the ignorant members rebel? There had to be sufficient inducements. There were either significant advantages to being a part of a Dominion or there was a sufficient threat to prevent people from leaving the Dominion.

On Earth, history was rife with peoples who fought and were put down. Those with sufficient certainty of their own divine right to rule were perfectly willing to kill their followers for the audacity of questioning the right of the rulers to keep control. Many of these wars were pushed by proxies, but many were ultimately at the behest of the kings or queens.

He had loyalty in the Royal authority of Great Britain, but even he had to admit that they had held power in too far flung a region.

The questions became: How big was the Dominion? How long had the Dominion held power? Both questions being answered would be able to define the threat.

Harry was certain that the Federation, and likely the other powers, would certainly take notice of the information and what he had deduced would be obvious. Sisko was hardly likely to tell him unless he had also reported it up the chain of command.

* * *

Harry made a decision. He made his way to Ops. "Sir Harry. Can I help you?" Major Kira asked.

Harry sighed. "I'm going to do something I rarely do and trade in on my diplomatic status. I need to get a call in to Vulcan, specifically the Vulcan Science Directorate."

Kira looked at Dax, who shrugged. Kira finally said, "Okay. To who specifically?"

"My elves are listed as official visitors – I need to speak to them and I need to do it privately."

Major Kira put the call through and Harry took it in Sisko's office. Harry's eyes lit up when Winky and Dobby appeared. "Dobby! Winky!"

"Master Harry!" They echoed together. Winky took the lead. "Why do you call?"

Harry considered how to say it. "Something happened which makes me want to go to Earth directly and I want to move up our plans." He paused. "Dobby."

"Yes, Master Harry?"

"What did I make you give me at the end of our first meeting?" he asked with intention.

"Your letters that I had taken," Dobby said solemnly.

"Good." Dobby and Winky were too connected to be faked with each other so asking Winky was unnecessary.

"Master Harry."

"Yes?"

"What was I wearing when you saw me cleaning the tower?"

Harry smirked. "Several hats, all on top of each other. The other elves wouldn't clean the tower. Good question. I want you to stay on Vulcan – I will go there and then to Earth. I will call you when I arrive at the Directorate. Do as you want until then but stay safe."

"Yes, Master Harry. We will clean and not be seen."

"Understood. Good luck." He cut off the feed and got up. He left Commander Sisko's office and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Now, I need help booking passage to Vulcan, soonest."

"For who?" Dax asked.

"Me. And once I meet up with my elves, I'm on to Earth."

"I see," Major Kira said. "And this is because …."

"Because I decided that I need things happening sooner rather than later." That was all he was willing to say to anyone he wasn't in a contract with.

Kira replied, "I will check what's scheduled and get back to you."

Harry said, "Worst case – I'm willing to pony up a few credits even if I'd prefer Starfleet but I'll take what I can get as long as it isn't Cardassian – I still have issues."

Kira almost snorted. "As if I'd do that to you."

Harry shrugged and then grinned at her. "I guess it would depend on how much I had pissed you off recently."

She actually stilled as she considered that. "True."

* * *

By chance, there was a ship due to travel back through DS9 from the Gamma Quadrant to Vulcan. The USS Copernicus, an Oberth-class, had been in the Gamma Quadrant studying stellar phenomenon, something the Oberth-class was specifically designed to accomplish. Copernicus had been dispatched from Vulcan and had several members of the Vulcan Science Academy on board who were now returning.

Copernicus, after transferring down the Vulcan scientists and taking a day to transfer information, would then move on to Starbase 1 at Earth. It entirely suited Harry's purposes.

His goodbyes to the Deep Space crew were short as he intended to be back in six weeks. The trip to Vulcan would be six days – they were flying at moderately high warp as the Vulcan passengers had time constraints. Vulcan to Earth would be two days.

Harry made himself at home in the quarters assigned once he had put out his small ward stones to enact the protections against anyone of ill intent from entering his quarters. He didn't think it was needed, but he wasn't taking any chances right then.

He felt no need to employ a tent or other method of expanding his quarters. On Deep Space 9, he deliberately used a very small physical footprint there so as not to inconvenience the station. Wizard space made the quarters opulent.

Harry spent the next six days mostly in his quarters outside of a few meals with ships crew and one with the Vulcan scientists. That was done deliberately. He went to the ship's mess hall during the time the Vulcans would be eating.

* * *

He went up to a replicator. "Computer: Grilled Portobello mushrooms with olive oil with tabbouleh and baba ghanoush on the side." Harry knew that such a dish did exist and Federation replicators on starships could make them. The bulgur used as a template was actually something he had brought – the previous template used was extremely poor by comparison.

Much of what was known as Middle-Eastern food and culture had been lost during the Eugenics wars and World War III. By chance or design, Hermione had insisted that he include cookbooks of all Earth cultures when he jumped. They didn't know what kind of environment and food would be available but she hoped that something would be edible.

One of the things that he had gifted the Federation was the set and the elves' work to scan his food stores had already provided benefits and, in the next years, would provide much wider benefits within the Federation.

He then made his way to a group of Vulcans that were preparing to eat. He found the oldest looking male and said, "If it is not offensive, I would ask for permission to eat with your group."

The man looked at his companions and back. "That is acceptable." He gave an elegant wave to an empty spot.

Harry bowed his head respectfully and set down his tray. "My name is Sir Harry Potter, currently resident of Deep Space 9."

The five Vulcans nodded and then listed off their names: Vauv, Tun and Dyck were the males and T'pler and Funek were the females. They were all 'of Vulcan'.

Harry listened to the names and said, "It is agreeable to have met you all."

Vauv, the elder Vulcan, asked, "And your reason to eat with a group of Vulcan passengers is?" There was no rancor, only curiosity.

Harry wasn't offended. In fact, he had locked much of his emotional responses behind his occulmency shields. "Curiosity and research."

"What are you researching?" Tun asked.

Harry picked up the piece of mushroom and chewed it before answering. "I am researching the nature of social interactions amongst Vulcans and between Vulcans and others."

"How is a request to share table space while eating 'Research'?" Funek asked.

Harry nodded at the question. "As you are on a ship with Human crew members, you have likely noticed that as a race we like to engage in what is termed 'small talk'."

T'pler said, "I have observed this extensively, often to such a degree that it could be distracting if one were less disciplined."

Harry nodded. "That does not surprise me. As a matter of culture, Humans catalogue all interactions and use them as a guide to future interaction. We engage in small talk to observe reactions outside of formal circumstances. We believe these to be more honest than reactions in more formal circumstances."

Dyck commented, "That is not logical. Vulcans react with logic in all circumstances, formal and otherwise."

"That is possibly true. And I only say possibly because I have not observed enough of Vulcans and their responses to agree or disagree with such a statement." Three of the Vulcans raised eyebrows at that, the other two remained mildly interested. "Humans assume that it is otherwise because it is otherwise with us."

Funek said, "And so your observation during this meal and discussion is a part of this cataloguing of responses; thus a form of research."

"Correct."

The Vulcans and Harry did not speak for a few minutes as they ate the food and apparently considered what was discussed.

Harry commented with a bland tone, "I failed to retrieve water to enjoy with my meal. I will rectify that. Does anyone require or desire water?"

Tun was curious. "Why would one accept water if one did not require it?"

Harry considered that. "I believe we reach a limit of the English language. Desire implies enjoyment but also could imply light need. You might not require water at this moment. However, your drinking of water now may prevent the necessity of retrieving water four hours from now. Thus, you might desire water now, or express it as a desire, though it is actually a method of altering the normal time of requirement."

Tun considered that. "Logical. Very well, I desire water." Funek and T'pler echoed him.

"Would it create offense if I retrieved such using a method you have not observed before?"

"I find such highly unlikely," Tun said, "but it would not be offensive."

Harry nodded and withdrew his wand. He quickly cast a spell and conjured four glasses and then performed a silent _aguamenti_ to fill each glass.

Tun and the two females each retrieved a cup after Harry had taken one and drank from it. Each carefully peered at the water and then tried it. Tun finally said, "You were correct. I had not observed such a method before. What is the method called?"

Harry looked at him and said with a deadpan tone, "Magic."

The elder Vulcan said, "Claiming magic is real is not logical."

Harry replied, "Calling such illogical is what I would term a knee-jerk response. Magic, by definition, is a form of manipulation which defies scientific explanation. Vulcans are great believers in logic. Thus a disbelief in magic is logical. However, you have observed my creation of water and vessels to hold it. I call my ability to employ a higher-level energy magic, because that is how my people define it. I am a Wizard and my magical ancestors go back at least two thousand years. Who are you to say that my ancestors were mistaken in their naming of their own abilities?"

Vauv paused and said, "My apologies if I gave inadvertent offense." Harry waved that off. "But it is as you said: Calling it magic implies that it cannot be understood by scientific explanation. I find it unlikely that such is the case."

"You assume that such is the case. Vulcans have been involved in interstellar travel for over 1500 years. Have you not encountered people or phenomenon that you have not yet understood?"

"Yes," Dyck replied. "In such circumstances, the conclusion is made that we do not have sufficient understanding yet to define it. Calling it magic implies we would never be able to understand it. That is illogical."

Harry paused. "I understand your statement. I will say that my people recognize that there is an inherent quantity of chaos and irrationality included in what we call magic. Our culture goes back thousands of years, at least four thousand to the time of the building of the Great Pyramids at least. Humans find it more logical to admit that there are things we will never understand than to waste resources on attempting to understand that which cannot be. Or at least we view it as wasted resources."

T'Pler looked thoughtful. "A Vulcan would never assume that anything cannot be understood given sufficient time and opportunity to study it."

Harry nodded. "A fundamental difference between us. Humans would admit to the truth of that statement but find it illogical to continue to attempt to understand such things – as long as they work. The ability to use it is enough – we have no innate need to understand it beyond that, even if we would prefer that to be the case."

"Practicality vs rationality," Funek commented. "The fundamental difference in drive between Humans and Vulcans." After a moment's pause she said, "This has been a fascinating discussion." She looked at Harry. "Of what purpose is your research, if I may ask?"

Harry said with a faint smile, "My variant of Human is long-lived, especially for those who have a large magical reserve. Such is the case with me. Falling in love and mating with another Human might be illogical if I will likely live anywhere from 130 to 240 years. I am thirty two right now. For non-magical Humans in my society, that was an age where a respectable man should have settled down and prepared to bring in the next generation already. For Humans of this society, it is a third of the way through their expected life and is time to begin to consider such things. For Magical Humans, we're truly still in our maturing stage at this time.

"Vulcans, I guessed, would likely match up well with me from a lifespan perspective. I am attempting to decide if locating a Vulcan mate would be logical socially."

The Vulcans all seemed to consider that. Funek commented, "You do appear to be much more controlled in your emotional responses compared to the Humans I have experience communicating with. Is this because of your magic or the social conventions of your origin?"

Harry answered, "No." He paused and then said, "Well, to be honest, yes, but not because my people are socially more controlled. There is a technique that my people practice called Occulmency. Magic can give one the ability to see memories of others, and this can be done without permission though that is considered illegal. Occlumency is the defense against that technique. One trained in Occlumency also enjoys an increased ability to memorize and recall data – likely better than Humans here and not as good as Vulcans. It also gives one the ability to control emotions as that is a prime cause for the loss of control of memories. I deliberately employed my Occlumency shields when I decided to ask to eat with Vulcans, so as not to unduly emote in their presence."

T'Pler commented, "Your responses have been far less emotional than one expects when speaking with a Human." Harry nodded to acknowledge that. "There is one comment I wished to clarify."

"Go ahead," Harry said.

"When I first spoke of Humans' tendency to engage in small talk with me, your reply included an implication that the reasons were obvious. But other Vulcans do not experience Humans engaging in small talk to the same degree as when I encounter them. Why would this be the case?"

Harry nodded to acknowledge the question. "Vulcans are, to most Humans' sense of aesthetics, a remarkably handsome race, meaning that Humans find Vulcans physically pleasing to look at. I have yet to see a Vulcan I would term ugly in the sixteen months or so since I arrived in this timeline. However, your physical appearance moves beyond handsome to what we Humans call beautiful. Socially, Humans like to talk to beautiful people – especially men who seek mates."

T'Pler raised her eyebrow. "That is not logical. Many of the males who engage in small talk are, themselves, married. No words of interest or actions of that nature were involved."

Harry sighed. "As illogical as it seems, it is likely true. It is in our nature. Funek, for example, is also aesthetically pleasing. But her beauty, in Human terms, is almost severe. She is taller, more slender, and has a slighter frame. There was a time in the past where Humans considered women of that shape to be less desirable as they were more likely to die in childbirth. A woman with wider hips – what we would call more generous – was considered more likely to survive and give a man more children." He glanced at T'Pler. "Your hips are easily seen as more generous, as is your bustline. Many Human males find that attractive, even if they might not say that is the reason. There are cultures that would find Funek more attractive as well."

Funek replied, "Making myself aesthetically pleasing to Human males is illogical. I have a bonded mate and there is no reason for me to make myself more attractive."

T'Pler said, "Although my pair-bonding was cancelled for private reasons, I also find it illogical to make myself more pleasing to Human males."

Harry commented, "The only reason I could give to do so is that Human males tend to agree more with beautiful women, given all other factors being equal. Human females probably react more positively to you three," he said to the men, "and, if I am correct, they react most positively to Vauv."

Vauv said, "That is strange to me. I am older by a considerable margin. I have seen a century and a half. Why would Human females react more positively to me than Dyck or Tun?"

Harry replied, "Because you have obviously survived longer and, as such, are from a purely biological viewpoint, the one much more successful at survival. Your offspring would be more likely to survive. Once again, a learned behavior in Humans from an evolutionary standpoint."

Tun said, with the driest Vulcan tone, "Understanding Human reactions is much more complex than I expected. Nothing of what you have said is illogical – given a particular viewpoint."

Harry nodded. "Humans of this time attempt to say they have evolved, but they are still trying to survive and from a biological imperative. Spreading children to other planets and species makes is look at non-Human females."

Dyck commented, "Humans do seem to seek mates from other species on a much greater basis than other races. It is not something I had considered. I am a Stellar cartographer of the – biology is not my primary focus. Nor that of any of those present."

Harry shrugged. "I suppose not."

Harry ate more of his food. When asked, he told them what he was eating. "I chose a vegetarian meal to be less intrusive."

T'Pler said, "In such circumstances, eat what you desire. It would not be logical for a Vulcan to be offended by the food choices of others. It would also be considered an emotional response. As a matter of practice Vulcans do not express emotion."

Harry replied, "Vulcans suppress all emotion save curiosity – you practice freeing yourself from responding to external triggers of emotions. This is by choice and training. Observing the eating of flesh might be a triggering action. I enjoy this meal as much as I enjoy meals that include replicated animal flesh. Would it be logical to indulge in doing so when eating meals of vegetables serve me well enough?"

Dyck said, "Logical."

Harry finished. "Thank you for your company."

They looked confused. Tun said, "It took no extra effort and, in some ways, may have benefitted us by exposing us to information we were not aware of previously. It seems illogical to accept thanks for such."

"Humans, in less than formal environments, express emotions such as thanks and apology in minor respects. We call this 'social lubricant' – it allows an easier flow social interaction. It is not dishonest to accept thanks in such circumstance, nor is it illogical from a Human standpoint. A proper response could be 'You are welcome. Thank you for spending your meal with us.' It acknowledges the fact that we both might have benefited without potentially offending someone by refusing their thanks."

Harry had seen Vulcans interact and their tendency to deny thanks and small talk had annoyed him. His arguments were not spur of the moment but carefully crafted. If it was purely a matter of logic they would accept it and possible express gratitude. If it was bigotry they would refuse to accept the premise despite a logical argument for it.

Dyck asked, "Of what benefit is practicing what you refer to as social lubricant?"

Harry was mildly surprised. Asking for clarification was not one of his prepared responses. But he thought quickly. "It is less time consuming for those involved to allow it rather than to attempt to argue the logic of it."

Dyck replied, "Thank you."

"You are welcome." He gave a small smile. "Do you see how easy that was?"

Vauv said in a dry tone, "Except you are now expending effort to talk about it."

Harry looked at the elderly man. "The next time I am told that Vulcans have no humor I will remember this interaction."

Vauv came back quickly with, "There is no reason to be insulting." He was completely at ease.

Harry suppressed his laugh. "As you say." He stood up. "I will return to my quarters now. If any of you wish to socialize further, I am in VIP Quarters on Deck three." Harry vanished his plate and cup. He put his wand away and raised his hand in the traditional Vulcan gesture. "Live long and prosper."

They collectively returned the gesture. "Prosperity and long life."

Harry decided that Vulcans could be okay.

* * *

A/N: As I pointed out, Harry acting superior was a front. He was using arguments he had decided on before.


	15. A Short Stop at Vulcan

Harry Potter waited calmly at the door to the transporter room. He was due to beam down to the Science Directorate and was waiting for the other people who would be beaming down.

Finally they arrived and Harry recognized them. "Good day, all. I should have guessed who my fellow transportees would be." The five Vulcans he had eaten with were included.

"Greetings, Sir Harry Potter of Earth," Vauv said easily. "You are also transporting to the Science Directorate?"

"Yes. My retainers were visiting to deliver the Granger Seed Bank from Bajor." The entire group moved to the platform. "I am picking them up before continuing on to Earth."

"Granger Seed Bank? I am not familiar with this," Tun said, his curiosity showing.

"I am not native to this timeline. I brought a wealth of seeds from Earth of the past. Included were several types for plants suited to desert and low water environments. Most of the seeds Bajor was interested in were already studied there, and so now we moved …" that was when the transporter activated.

* * *

The group appeared in the same formation within an area which seemed designed to receive transports. "… the seeds to the Botanical labs within the Science Directorate." He then shivered. "That is always less than pleasant."

"What is less than pleasant?" Funek asked.

"Transporting. The sensation is singularly unappealing."

Before anyone could respond they were interrupted by a waiting Vulcan. "Sir Harry Potter of Earth?"

"Yes."

"I am T'Kot of the Security Services. It would be convenient if I could speak to you immediately."

Harry nodded and turned to the others and raised his hand. "_Dif-tor heh smusma_." Harry had practiced the Vulcan phrase rigorously (he didn't have much to do while traveling).

With barely a blink the group responded, "Prosperity and Long Life."

Harry nodded respectfully and stepped forward. "Officer T'Kot. How may I be of service?" he asked politely.

"The man stopped. "Two visitors, a Dobby and Winky, registered as your retainers, seem to have disappeared a week ago. We have enquired of all of those who came into contact and no individual has observed anything indicating foul play. We also have a record of their quarters being used – but we have not seen them." T'Kot looked perplexed.

Harry hid his smile. "I see. And you did not call the ship to enquire while I was in transit because …."

The Vulcan replied, "It did not seem logical to do so as you were already scheduled to arrive."

"Yes. But I could have explained." T'Kot's eyebrow rose. Harry turned and said distinctly, "Dobby! Winky!"

There were two quiet pops and the two elves appeared, none the worse for wear. "Master Harry!" Both rushed forward and hugged him around his leg – something they hadn't done in a while.

"How have you two been?" Harry asked kindly.

Winky looked up and said, "We have been well and keeping out of sight. We were finished with delivering and had nothing to do."

Dobby said, "And so we found dirty things to clean."

T'Kot interjected, "Have you been cleaning the statuary around the Directorate as well as the sides of the building?"

Winky glanced at Harry to see that he didn't object and replied, "Yes. Building was dirty and covered in sand. We cleaned it and cleaned and repaired dirty statues."

Harry almost groaned. "I hope that their actions did not cause offense." The elves looked horrified at the idea.

"No," T'Kot said. "It was a mystery which was noted days ago. Several surfaces that we consider too large to clean more than once every 4.2 months were suddenly cleaned and cleaned well. A portion of a statue of Surak which had been damaged due to winds was suddenly repaired. When we scanned the repair, we could not find any repair method. Our scans showed that the statue had not been damaged. Quantum dating showed that the statue had not been replaced - it is the original. We have been investigating how the repair was accomplished."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry. I ordered my elves to stay out of sight to protect themselves – something I learned activated my paranoia. I have a history which makes paranoia logical in some matters. They also find cleaning to be therapeutic and _necessary_. Asking a House Elf to not clean _could_ be considered torture."

"And the repairs?" T'Kot asked.

"Magic. My elves and I can express magic."

"There is no such thing as magic."

Harry suppressed his grin. "You should speak to the Vulcans I arrived with – we discussed that very matter and they can explain from a Vulcan's viewpoint. It might be easier to understand than anything I might say."

"I am not familiar with any of them," T'Kot observed.

"They are all involved with cataloguing stellar phenomenon and were on a mission to the Gamma Quadrant. They are Vauv, Tun, Dyck, Funek and T'Pler. I am certain that you could find reference to them within your records. But magic is the use of energy to manipulate reality." Harry pulled his wand and conjured a glass and then filled it. "Water?" he asked T'Kot.

T'Kot pulled a tricorder and scanned the glass. "This registers as water, pure water with no additives. However the glass registers as having a quantum flux – it will destabilize at some point in the future."

Harry replied, "Yes. A few days if it's not vanished. Conjuring is temporary unless one exerts additional techniques or energy in a certain way. Water, however, does not lend itself to temporary conjuring. Why that is true is unknown to my people. It just _is_."

Aguamenti was assumed to pull water from the environment but Harry had seen it work in dry places just as well. It seemed to violate the rules of conjuring, but then again water seemed to be a unique substance in the universe.

He had learned: When it came to water, accept it.

T'Kot seemed to ignore the details. "This is what you term magic?"

"Yes." Harry drank the water and then vanished the glass. T'Kot's tricorder didn't seem to give him any answers. "However. You were concerned at their disappearance and they have reappeared. They disappeared using skills that are intrinsic to their race and thus not to be limited or regulated except where the health or safety of others might be threatened. Do you have any more questions for them or for me?"

T'Kot considered that. "No. If there are further questions, how may you be contacted?"

"I plan on returning to the USS Copernicus with my retainers soon."

"Very well." T'Kot looked at the elves. "It has been a fascinating experience meeting you."

Winky didn't know how to reply and so Harry took over. "Live long and prosper."

"Prosperity and long life," T'Kot replied mechanically and then departed.

Harry watched him for a moment and then looked down. "Everything is good?"

"We are fine, Master Harry. We have our things."

Harry nodded. "We should probably ensure that they know you're leaving officially."

It took a little while to get everything sorted out but the House Elves were officially signed out within an hour. The group did spend a bit of time outside, with the elves showing him various landmarks.

* * *

"Okay. This extra weight and thin air is finally starting to tire me out," Harry said.

Dobby commented, "It takes days to get used to it." Harry though it was probably more for non-magical people. When you went from 72 kg or so to closer to 80 and the air was thin, it would make anyone tired.

He asked his elves, "Any trouble performing magic here?"

"No, Master Harry," Winky said. "In some places, closer to mountains, it is easier. But we did not travel far."

Harry's eyes widened slightly. If there was a change in the magical field, it could have interacted with the inhabitants. Perhaps their ability to read minds wasn't as scientific as they thought it was. "Okay then. Let's make sure the ship is close."

Harry found a comm. panel and ensured that the ship was in a stationary orbit over the Science Directorate. He had one final question. "Is there anyone on the observation deck?"

There was a puzzled tone. "One moment." After a brief pause the voice came back, "The Observation deck is not in use at this time."

"Thank you. Potter Out." He looked at his elves and said, "Find me after I arrive." Harry concentrated and popped off. It was less than 350 miles to the ship and well within his apparition range – he had checked before transporting down. On Earth, it would be closer to 300 but Vulcan was larger.

* * *

Harry appeared when he expected to, feeling a slight bit of relief. Still, the transporter was unpleasant for magicals and this worked. After a moment, there were two pops and the elves appeared and looked around.

"Good. I'll let them know we're here now." They moved to a panel. "Potter to the Bridge."

There was a pause. "This is Lt. Eames. Didn't you just call from the surface?"

"Yes. However, transporters are unpleasant and I decided to come back under my own power – and I brought my retainers. We're on the observation deck and will wait for someone from the ship's crew to verify our presence and identity."

"Stand by."

"Acknowledged."

Harry and the elves stood there looking out toward Vulcan. It was a different looking planet than Earth – less blue, more brown. There was virtually no green. It did have large bodies of water, but they appeared to cover only ten to fifteen percent of the surface. On the other side, he knew, there was even less water.

Suddenly, the door opened and the three turned. Harry recognized one of them. "Lt. C'Rera. So good to see you again."

The Starfleet officer, a Caitian, smirked in his own feline manner. "Sir Potter. Causing trouble I see."

Harry shrugged. "Whenever I can."

The security officer, a Human, scanned the elves and Harry. "The information matches, no pathogens."

Harry was amused. "This is Vulcan, not some backwater planet."

C'Rera said, "We have protocols for a reason. Using the transporter or going by authorized shuttle means that the scanners can make certain recognized dangers are avoided. Yes – likely not a problem with Vulcan. But it is better to keep practiced."

Harry huffed. "I'll just come back to a transporter room and let myself be scanned."

C'Rera nodded. "That's all we ask. It's not a major issue. Your 'wizard' bags already give the transporter troubles."

Harry smirked. "Honestly? I'm happy that magic includes chaos – the transporters would have destroyed us otherwise."

He, nor Miles or any other engineer, could come up with why their bags could be transported and recreated. It was interesting that transporters couldn't lock on magical items without a magical being included. Harry had guessed that his and/or the elves' magic forced it to work. There was a reason why the elves had to actually go to the Glen Lyon during the scanning process for all seeds and food they had brought. He was thankful that magic tended to be protective of magical beings – or there would have been a disaster the first time they transported.

Harry privately wondered if the transporter acted to force open a subspace tunnel from one location to another. That would explain why the material was recreated precisely. Older and new transporters used different principles with modern ones being safer. Newer transporters seemed to never "modify" things in accidents. He didn't care how "science" registered the phenomenon. To him and the elves it felt related to apparition.

C'Rera said, "Well, you're clear." He looked at the elves. "You two can follow Sir Harry to find your quarters."

* * *

Harry considered his understanding of the transporter as he led the elves back. He wondered if the transporter was so uncomfortable because non-magical people had stumbled on a way to manipulate magical energy and their inability to understand it meant they modified it according to how they perceived it.

His supposition that this might be true had been reinforced when his "cloaking" ward on the Gangees had been powered by the shuttle and not by his own or ambient magic. The ship registered energy being diverted from the structural integrity generators.

Manipulating magic with technology could be why his magic didn't seem to react too poorly to what was considered technology here. It also explained why the technology seemed to be able to do things that were frankly impossible. Magic, after all, had that knack.

That could explain why replicators could work and why material which was created using the same chemical base had no quantum flux and materials created from material which was different had the flux. It was the difference between transfiguration and conjuration.

It also could explain why latinum couldn't be replicated: Magic couldn't create money.

Replicators could work because they used a defined source for material and, unlike pure conjuration, didn't create from nothing. Gold was simple enough that the inability to create gold was overcome. Latinum was too complicated – it was almost like mercury which had a different chemical structure. One could almost call it a non-reactive mercury. Gold was similarly non-reactive and so latinum was pressed within the material as an envelope for the liquid substance so prized by the Ferengi and others. Mercury dissolved gold, latinum did not.

Latinum was another reason Harry thought that transporters didn't work the way the Federation and others thought they did. Replicators and transporters worked on similar principles. Latinum couldn't be replicated but could be transported. If one transported a locked box of latinum, there was no way to determine what was in the box without opening it – but it transported.

Something about current technology made absolutely no sense to a Wizard from twenty-first century Earth.

It was possible, just possible, that portkeys could work from planet to planet or from a space station to a planet. He just didn't have anyone he was willing to risk to test that principle. It wasn't as if …

Suddenly, Harry stopped in the corridors. "Master Harry?" Winky asked. "Do you need help?"

Harry forced his mind to thing about the now. "No. Sorry, guys. I had a thought and my mind took off." He continued on his way.

They got back to Harry's quarters and he showed the elves the second bedroom where they would make themselves at home. He was in VIP quarters though they were small on this type of ship.

Harry then let them work and lay down. He smirked as he thought about what his mind had twigged on.

He had someone he could test a portkey on: Gul Dukat. He had been to Cardassia IV and knew the area well enough to create a portkey there – he had done it repeatedly to save the Bajoran prisoners.

All it would take now was somehow attaching it to the Cardassian and making it voice activated. He would have to use a word that Dukat would say but not on Deep Space 9. He could use the word, "Kanar" but Dukat might order that at Quark's.

Harry was torn: Now he didn't know if he wanted it to work. If it worked, Dukat would be found on Cardassia IV complaining about the sensation of bring dragged by his stomach. And when he was recovered, extreme efforts would be taken to find out how it had occurred. If it didn't work, Dukat would be dead. That would not be a bad thing in his mind. If he did this, he would have to make certain that it didn't come back to him being responsible.

He would have to think about the idea.

* * *

Later the next day, there was a bulletin which appeared on the computer in his quarters: The trip to Earth was begun. He made certain that New Buckingham would be alerted that he would arrive.

By his calculation, Krim had arrived just that day as he was on a ship which was cruising at a lower speed. Some ships used lower speeds to save fuel or because their warp drives weren't designed for higher speeds.

Harry and the elves talked in detail over what had been occurring over the last days. The elves had recovered several examples of oils, flowers, and other botanical items from Vulcan as well as sehlet claws and other animal based items as possible.

One never knew what could be magical enough for a potion.

One particular plant was very similar to Venomous Tentacula, and there were a few potions that was useful for. One would have to try to brew a potion using it – Harry was a bit dubious that he was good enough to experiment with that at his current level.

Once matters resolved in a few years, Harry planned to spend his time working on such things. But, preparations would begin immediately.

* * *

Halfway to Earth the VIP guests were working on their own interests when an announcement sounded. "Attention: All crew and passengers. Attention: All crew and passengers. Prepare for a shipwide video announcement by the Captain."

Harry and the elves quickly moved to the computer screen and registered it to become active. Captain Patrick Bradigan appeared on the screen looking somewhat solemn. "This is an announcement for all crew and passengers. As ordered by the Federation Council: As of this Stardate 47315.7 all Starfleet and Federation starships will operate under this directive: Warp Travel will be limited to Warp 5 save for dire need or declared emergency. Areas of subspace instability are now limited to essential travel only. The reasons for this directive are as follows: Excessive Warp travel has been determined to erode the barriers between subspace and normal space due to the transfer of particles when a ship travels at warp. Particles produced by warp engines left behind cause erosion in subspace fields due to accumulation. The Federation Council has begun apprising all warp-capable races and governments of this directive and the research leading to it. As far as our current mission: Expect a one day delay in our arrival as we have reduced our speed from Warp 6 to Warp 5. That is all."

Harry mused, "Well, at least we weren't on a long leg. I'm going to read about this. Do you want to join me?"

The elves did not and went back to their own activities.

Harry watched them for a moment and then turned. "Computer: Call up the non-classified information available regarding the new limitations on Warp Speed." There was a definite pause – Harry assumed that every crew member was doing as he was.

The information on the screen was scary, he decided. Warp travel, the only current effective way to travel faster than light, was a source of damage to the barriers between regular and subspace. From what he was seeing, after two hours of study, was that the output of warp engines was quantum particles which were not subspace compatible. In addition, there were theoretical subspace particles which it was possible were being dragged from subspace to normal space.

He was horrified to see that the information was proven by a brilliant but impatient woman creating a warp-core explosion to magnify an already forming subspace rift. He understood desperation – he himself had willingly walked to his death – but that method of death was not one he would have chosen to experience.

After reading everything he could, he started composing a message to Lars.

_Lars Dresbach, Chief Engineer, Royal Engineers, New Buckingham Palace, Great Britain, Earth_

_I am now two days out due to the new directives on warp travel which I am certain you have been told of._

_It is now more urgent than ever that you work on programming the language from our database._

Harry hoped that was sufficient to point out the magical runes to affect warp engine operation.

_It is my hope that we can overcome the limitations that we currently encounter._

_I assume Krim Aldos (Bajorans reverse the names in the same way as the Japanese did), former General of the Bajoran Militia and my new Chief of Security, has arrived and reported to HRM or the Crown Prince. (I guess I'm the only one who calls him that.)_

_Please consult with the Royals as to how to proceed. We should treat our operations as private and proprietary. Krim will be responsible for ensuring that no one outside of those with approval will learn of plans and secrets._

_As I said, I will report in two days to HRM._

_Best Regards,_

_Sir Harry Potter, Knight of the Thistle, Holder of the George Cross_

Harry verified the content, secured it, and sent it to be transmitted by subspace. He was certain that many people on board were in the midst of doing the exact same thing.


	16. Conversations and Counsel

A/N: Thanks to the reviewer who pointed out the idiocy of Harry giving too many details in the letter. I fixed it. Also, I am not claiming magic and ST tech are the same. Harry doesn't know physics. But his belief in magic does seem to have a powerful response to the effectiveness of his magic. Magic is, after all, all about intent and belief. That is the reason he could do as I described below …

* * *

The Copernicus arrived at Starbase One two days later. As he and the elves walked through the place, Harry noticed that there seemed to be more people waiting than he remembered. With some inquiry, he found where he could get a shuttle down to the surface.

After registering, Harry waited with Dobby and Winky. And at 7:34 Earth Standard Time, the three entered the Type 6 Shuttlecraft. "Shuttle bound for New Buckingham, correct?" he asked the man checking the instruments.

"Yes. Three passengers with diplomatic status." Harry shot a look at the front as he heard the voice. The man turned and Harry's guess was verified.

"Lt. Henderson. A surprise to meet you." Harry's tone was dubious.

The man gave a distant smile. "Sir Harry Potter. Less of a surprise than it could be. And the name is not Henderson. Nor is it actually Lieutenant."

Harry tapped his elves' shoulders to get them to relax as both had stepped protectively forward. "You have me at a disadvantage."

The man nodded. "I apologize. I had wanted an opportunity to speak to you privately and finding you having taken the unusual step of using a shuttle rather than a transporter gave me that chance. I am Commander Sloan and I work for Federation Security, though that is not a well-published fact."

"Ah," Harry motioned his elves to sit as the shuttlecraft closed and he sat as well. "So, Commander Sloan, you will speak with me on the way to New Buckingham."

"Yes. We are flying there directly, no detours," Sloan verified.

Harry relaxed, though he kept his wand within easy access. "What shall we talk about?" he asked lightly.

Sloan replied, "As soon as we leave the docking facilities and are on course."

"That's fine." Harry concentrated on shoring his Occlumency despite having no sense of any probing. Better safe than sorry was his current motto.

It took a few minutes but soon they were free of the dock and were flying through the outer layers. "Course laid in. We're steady at 200 KM above sea level. We will begin to descend in twenty minutes." Sloan then turned his seat. "So. Our conversation."

"Yes. What did you wish to speak of?" Harry asked.

Sloan gave one of those distant smiles. "I will admit that we are far less uncertain of your bona fides than we were when you showed up last year. Arrivals from alternate timelines are rare and the most common origin is a timeline in which a Terran Empire rose up instead of a United Federation of Planets. Humans were the oppressors and most Aliens were subservient or enemies."

Harry was surprised. "And how did that work out for them?"

"They were successful but were always subjected to rebellion. I don't blame anyone classified as a rebel there – I would not serve a Terran Empire and my morals, due to my position, are a lot more forgiving that the average Human's."

"So an evil alternate to the Federation?" Harry asked to clarify.

Sloan paused and said, "That is too simplistic. Humans in that timeline are narcissistic, power hungry, and unforgiving. Their culture required it and any sign of altruism was considered a weakness. By our standards: Yes, it was evil. They considered it proper. But you are not from that timeline."

"No. My origin is very comparable to the timeline up until, I am guessing, post-WWII."

"No. It must go much further back because there are magical people. Your timeline splits off at least as far back as magical society. How long has that existed?"

Harry considered. "According to our best guesses? 5000 years – since before the fall of Atlantis."

"Atlantis existed?" Sloan asked.

"Yes. It was a magical empire – but how it was organized is a matter of speculation as the records were there and were destroyed in the fall."

"In our timeline, it's a story. Possibly based on a political entity existing on the western side of Africa which experienced a large and cataclysmic flood according to the best guesses of our geologists approximately 4000 years ago."

Harry nodded. "A possible source for the Noah flood myth and others. Magical records in Egypt recorded its existence."

"Our Egypt didn't have those records."

"Okay. But even unicorns and other magical animals evolved so it likely goes back even further. How stories traversed over to other timelines, I don't know."

Sloan said, "Not really important. The fact is, your timeline is similar enough to be useful to you and different enough that we are not concerned that you are a threat."

Harry was confused. "How does that work?"

Sloan explained, "If your timeline was too similar, some of what occurred there could have occurred here in secret. We obtained the copy of the encyclopedias you gifted Enterprise and the Federation. And while they were very interesting, it demonstrated things so different from what we experienced that it could be considered fiction."

Harry asked sardonically, "Do you consider it fiction?"

"No," Sloan chuckled. "The books were too detailed and far too consistent. No one, not even us at our most paranoid, would create such a background to infiltrate Federation society. You had music never heard, movies never seen ... there was too much detail to be faked. It also helped relieve our paranoia that you did not attempt to become a 'Starfleet officer' – using what honors you did earn to parlay it into influence with the Federation."

Harry said with some humor, "I _have_ parlayed my honors into influence. Am I not an official member of the Royal House of Great Britain? Don't I have diplomatic status? Don't I enjoy special perks not available to many?"

Sloan chuckled dryly. "Yes. But your influence is being unique – and having somehow brought a wide array of material that is useful and interesting. You've pushed this into having money – a very large amount of it, but you do not live in extreme luxury, which means you have a purpose for it. Your personal skills in magic are of concern, as is that of your elves, but we have run into entities with such skills. In the worst case scenario, we could likely destroy you. But that has become less and less likely an outcome because, frankly, you're just the kind of person we think is needed."

"How so?" Harry asked, giving nothing away.

"Your loyalty to King Charles means that you are unlikely to be a threat to Earth or the Federation, of which he is a citizen and figure of influence. Your idealism, however, does not stop you from being a vindictive bastard when you decide it's necessary. Good job with Lursa and B'Etor, by the way. Gowron was particularly pleased with obtaining custody."

"Thank you," Harry said with mild amusement.

"A primary difficulty with the Humans of Federation society is a certain complacency. It's good to see someone who seems to recognize that there is a time to get nasty. You've begun to move and it was such a simple thing that moved you."

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked in a confused voice.

Sloan sounded amused. "We know what the Ferengi learned – a Ferengi who is willing to accept a regular fee not recorded with his tax returns." Harry snorted. "And while Commander Sisko reported it to the Federation Council, they consider it a minor matter. You don't. And neither do we. As soon as you found out, you moved to begin your project."

"What project?" Harry asked.

"The ship promised to you is a minor matter. Prince William has started negotiating one of the new Nova-class starships for your ownership and use. Or better to say, the right to build something of that nature, modified as you require. It's small, powerful, and can be operated with minimal crew. It also is easily modifiable, so will likely suit your personal needs well. It even has a runabout-class ship built in, a Waverider."

Harry was confused. "I hadn't heard – or picked a ship."

Sloan waved that off. "Charles decided to make it an order because he was tired of you dithering. He's going to place it under the authority of the Traditional Royal House with you as the owner. You'll be able to maximize the weaponry because that might be necessary to protect yourself due to your diplomatic status. You'll also have to get the crew members you wish to hire approved – civilians with big guns make people nervous."

Harry considered what he was being told. He had been worried he would be stuck with something considered minor, at least visibly, because he was technically a civilian. This Nova-class or variant sounded more acceptable. All he had to do was agree with this Sloan – who seemed to be party of an Unspeakable type organization. That made him nervous and relaxed him at the same time.

Harry had not been happy that the Federation seemed to lack the basic drive to kill if necessary. That there was a secret organization extant that seemed to support the Federation was good. But it also was likely a source of possible corruption.

Such organizations tended to have too little oversight and too much power and too many resources. And when they went rogue, it was terrifying. The Unspeakables' Rockwood had been a prime factor in Riddle's almost-win before he visited Godric's Hollow.

Harry decided to ask, "What is your opinion of my hiring Krim Aldos?"

Sloan didn't act as though he hadn't known about that, a point in his favor. "That was a surprise. Krim was part of the most anti-Federation faction on Bajor. And yet, he does seem to be completely honest in his loyalty to you now."

Harry said, "He's an honest politician: When he's bought, he stays bought. As long as you don't fuck him over, he won't fuck you over."

Sloan was curious. "Is there a reason you used vulgarity?"

Harry chuckled. "I am a product of my time. The lack of vulgar language is completely strange to me. Such words were used more for emphasis and almost ignored by the time I jumped, even in polite society, as long as they were used rarely. I used it to emphasize the importance of the detail – sudden addition of vulgarity is supposed to emphasize how deeply I believe what I said."

Sloan nodded. "Vulgarity is almost completely absent in Earth culture because such things tend to be understood differently by different races. If you are in the habit of not using them, you don't have to be careful when you deal with a culture where they are extremely offensive."

Harry considered that. "Good point. I never thought of that and can try to remove them from my general use."

Sloan nodded and then turned when an alarm sounded. "We are beginning our descent. I will have to pay attention for any other craft but we are unlikely to have any difficulties."

Harry was feeling comfortable enough to say, "I can sit in the copilot seat if that would be easier."

Sloan replied, "Possibly." He seemed honest in that and so Harry moved forward.

"So. My ship is a minor matter. So of what importance is my coming back?" he asked Sloan as he read the panel.

Sloan replied, "You have something else planned. Prince William has looked into reopening an old facility."

"Which one is that?" Harry asked.

"During World War III and in the immediate aftermath, hiding your shipbuilding facilities was important. There are a lot of places in the Sol system available but unimportant to the Federation or to the United Earth government. One particular facility was used in the 2100s by companies loyal to Great Britain. When the United Earth government was formed and Great Britain signed on, such facilities were folded in. This one was deemed too inconvenient because it was both too far and too close."

"How can it be both?" Harry asked.

"Mars' shipbuilding was the product of several corporations from different countries merging. Mars is far enough that it isn't in plain sight and close enough for easy access. The facility in question was much farther – not as easy to access. It was also still in the Sol system and so trips to it aren't really able to be hidden from the extreme number of sensor-capable installations. So both too far and too close."

"Where is this place?"

Sloan smirked, "In Sol's asteroid belt."

"The one between Mars and Jupiter?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Britain owned this as a ship-building facility but it was moth-balled when it became United Earth. Prince William recently has gotten permission to unseal it and he has had the Royal Engineers ensuring it is useful. A fair-sized asteroid, 912-Maritima to old Earth astronomers, has a fairly large fissure. With some work and using lasers, the fissure was turned into a proper cave-like structure three kilometers long and a kilometer wide. The opening is .5 kilometers wide but there was no way to put a door on it when it was built."

Harry was curious. "Could a door be put in now?"

Sloan replied, "Too expensive for something not in regular use. However, it does has habitation which is being refurbished by the engineers. Graviton emitters, replimats, other facilities. Also, some older starships that were mothballed have been moved to the cave and locked down. Their impulse engines and warp engines were removed but they retain their reactors to power environmental and other services. One industrial replicator is going to be installed as well to make larger parts."

Harry observed, "You seem to know a lot about this."

Sloan said, "We have been watching."

Harry considered that. "It seems a waste to put that back in service for just a project that I am theoretically planning."

Sloan replied, "You would think so."

Harry didn't buy it. "Give."

Sloan looked at Harry. "Your word that it goes no further?"

"Only to the Royals," Harry replied. He was loyal to the King and his family.

Sloan nodded. "We informed Charles, so that's fine. The truth is that whatever you do, even if it takes a year or two or more, will then leave a ready-made facility which is not in the control of corporations under contract with the Federation council. United Earth owns the facilities, and they can be used at need depending on circumstances."

Harry sighed. "You can tell what's coming."

Sloan nodded solemnly. "War. War always comes. The Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians – who will be next? We think the Dominion is possible. But there are hints that even our old adversaries might cause problems in the future. We would rather be ready."

Harry considered that. Finally he said, "You know that I don't trust you or your shadow organization."

Sloan chuckled and replied, "You don't need to. All we did was to smooth the way for your own plans because in the long run we think it will be in our interests and the interests of the Federation. When your project is launched, King Charles will turn the facilities back over and decisions can be made then."

Harry nodded distantly. He had to ask, "Why reveal yourself to me?"

Sloan smirked. "You would have balked at it being too easy if you didn't know. You wouldn't have trusted it. Or so we assumed, because _we_ wouldn't have trusted it. So now you know who to worry about instead of worrying about a vague threat. It will be less distracting and less expensive for us if you know and don't get too meddlesome."

Harry snorted. At least the man didn't claim that his organization was doing things for his benefit – that would have been a blatant lie.

Harry glanced around when they landed and then saw the back hatch open. Harry turned to the pilot. "Thank you for the flight and for such an _enlightening_ conversation."

Sloan answered with aplomb, "You're welcome. Good luck with your projects."

"Thank you."

Harry watched as the ship flew off and then turned to speak to the waiting steward.

* * *

It took a day but soon everyone was together in a room which Harry had put wards on to keep surveillance from being effective.

King Charles spoke first. "First, I will once again formally welcome Sir Harry Potter back to Earth. Your actions at Deep Space 9 have been honorable and we are pleased with your service."

"Thank you, Sir." Harry had already greeting the man with Majesty the first time that day.

"Now. I would like everyone to introduce themselves. I am King Charles VIII, Traditional King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. And while little of that has much meaning in terms of power and ruling, I am the authorizing authority for the work that Sir Harry has accomplished here and at Bajor."

William went next. "I am Prince William Windsor, son of King Charles and his heir. I have been the man managing Sir Harry's projects directly as recompense for his making his resources available to the Royal House of Windsor and United Earth as a whole."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "I am Sir Harry Potter, Knight of the Thistle, holder of the George Cross. I parlayed the materials I brought with me into an opportunity to obtain things that are meaningful here. I have also use my saving people impulses to help renew Great Britain and to clean up and renew Bajor, my current home."

The elves spoke next. "I am Winky and this is Dobby. We are House Elves. Where we are from, we are servants. Master Harry insists we are equal. He also has made certain that we have work to do, which is important to House Elves. We are here because we are magical and can help Master Harry with his projects."

"I am Dobby. Winky spoke for me. But I will tell all: You shall not hurt Harry Potter." Dobby was definite about that.

Harry said, "These people are my allies. The even signed the contract to keep my secrets."

"I know, Master Harry. But it had to be said." Winky nodded in agreement. Harry nodded in amused resignation.

"I am Lars Dresbach, Chief Engineer, Royal Engineers of the House of Windsor. My people ensured the reclamators for Bajor were moved and operational there and now we are working on modifying and creating schematics for two ships. I am also working on a special side project for this."

And the last one spoke. "I am Krim Aldos, a Bajoran. I was a General with the Bajoran Militia and ensured that the Provisional Government was not allowed to prevent the reclamators from being used." He looked at Charles. "Thank you, Majesty, for everything you did for my people. I know it was at Sir Harry's instigation, but it was your resources that were delivered and which have been used so effectively."

Charles said, "You're welcome. It was a part of the debt we owed to Sir Harry."

Krim nodded. "I was a part of the movement to boot off all foreigners from Bajor. However, we were deceived as to the true instigator and purposes of the movement and I decided that I had been tricked into betraying my own people. I immediately resigned and helped investigators to ensure the true perpetrators were found and punished. Sir Harry told me he admired my loyalty, my ethos, and my willingness to admit when I was wrong. He hired me to be his Director of Security for his projects and, when finished, his ship."

Charles said, "Very well. Now. Sir Harry. You seem to have encountered some information."

"Yes, Sir." He explained the trip back from Starbase One and the man who had piloted the shuttle. He also told them what he had said.

Krim asked, "Did any of his people visit the facility or help to assist in its refurbishment?"

Lars replied, "Not that we know of. But we are scanning everything to make certain that nothing has been left behind. The computer cores from the ships which were locked into the shipyards were wiped clean. We have devices to block subspace transmissions outside of what is required by law to be allowed through for safety. We have been scanning for anything unaccounted for but nothing has come up so far."

Charles said, "We are doing as much as we can to make certain it is safe."

Krim said, "I have a lot of experience with sabotage from the occupation. I would like to arrange to inspect the facilities and to judge for myself. I will also need to begin to hire additional security to help me."

Harry replied, "I will approve it. You have to get approval on hires but I am unlikely to say no. Every hire must sign the secrecy contract."

Charles said, "We had one steward lose his memory of what he had heard when he spoke out of turn to his wife about something he had seen. He ignored the warnings he had been told to watch for and did it anyway. We have since moved him to a job outside of the palace."

Harry nodded. "I am sorry to cause problems for you, King Charles."

The King chuckled. "It was fine. I was not overfond of the man and he is in a job that is important in its own way – just not here. I had no cause to do so before. His replacement has been much more pleasant to deal with."

Harry asked curiously, "If I may ask …."

Charles cut him off. "The replacement was from another post within the palace. That man's old post was recruited but it isn't vital and is distant from anything important."

"And the new man signed?"

Charles smirked. "All who work closely with the Royal family or your projects sign the secrecy agreement. I appreciate knowing I have their loyalty without doubt. It might not be of significant importance anymore but I _am_ the King after all."

"Of course, Majesty," Harry said with some humor.

Krim said, "I would like permission to give details of what happened as a demonstration of what can be expected if someone breaks trust."

Charles said, "As long as the man's name isn't revealed. He does have a right to privacy." He paused. "Or at least the identity of the man won't be given until _after_ the contract is signed. Then the man's identity will be covered by the contract and gossip would be prevented."

Krim said, "I agree, Sir."

Harry was satisfied. "I told Krim what kind of ship I wanted. Did he inform anyone else? I told him to pass on the information."

Charles said, "He did. And I wanted you to explain: Why _that_ design? It seems ... overkill."

Harry sighed. "I picked the Galactica idea from my Earth's entertainment. But I have several reasons."

"Which are?" William asked.

Harry ordered his thoughts. "I wanted to create a ship which could, as necessary, be sufficiently intimidating to anyone wanting to attack either Deep Space 9 or Bajor while I live there. And I am currently leaning toward living there a long while."

"But a _warship_?"

Harry shrugged. "If you want to define it that way. I wanted something huge, and something distinctly from _my_ home's visions. And if you want reasons beyond martial: There are a number of times when large groups need to be moved in emergency circumstances. If we build a ship of that size and with large numbers of smaller vessels, such as runabouts, which can enter and exit the large bays, a settlement could be moved quickly, survivors from a starship can be picked up, or – if the worst happens – small, powerful ships can be deployed in large numbers to defend or attack if so required by the Federation."

Lars said, "I started looking at the possibility. A ship that size will take several warp cores and reactors. Or at least one or two huge ones."

"I know. But I am hoping that we can make warp engines more efficient and less damaging to the subspace wall when used. You have designed magical rune sequences to collect all normal space particles so that they won't dump into subspace – you sent me a file and I could read that much. We can also create repulsion ward schemes to ensure subspace particles are kept outside of the ship's warp bubble/bubbles."

Lars lit up at that idea. "So we can combine two ward schemes?"

Harry chuckled. "Ward crafters made a lot of money designing combination ward schemes. Now that we've computerized the language and can have the computer analyze it and then apply Arithmancy to determine the likely outcome, it will be a much faster process than we had in Magical Britain."

Krim asked, "You mean arithmetic?"

Harry smiled. "No. Arithmancy is a form of mathematical divination. My people had methods of applying numbers to determine likely outcomes when magic was applied or even in battle. Magic is … well, it doesn't always reflect logical thought. People come up with random ideas and try to figure out spells to accomplish certain effects. Bad spells can kill – my friend's mother died when my friend was 9 testing a spell she invented. Arithmancers can apply math in different ways to see if such a disaster would happen by trying the spell. It cuts down on mistakes."

Krim considered that. "So it is as though you are testing a design on a computer or holographic model before trying it, having the computer calculate the mathematical chances for a disaster if you build it that way."

"Right. But because magical isn't logical, we can't just apply standard math or physics. Arithmancy looks illogical to the non-magical mind but it is very useful," Harry explained.

Krim said, "As long as it works, I suppose it doesn't matter why."

"Right."

Charles asked, "And what kind of weapons?"

Harry said solemnly, "As many as we can. Besides phasers and torpedoes, I want the kinetic rail guns that the second Galactica TV show had."

"Why?" Lars asked. "I would assume phasers would be enough."

Harry chuckled darkly. "That's a problem I have with Engineers. They have a hammer and assume that all of their problems can be solved by nailing." He looked at Lars. "How fast do Borg ships become immune to a new energy weapon or frequency?"

Lars winced. "From what I've read – almost instantly."

"Right." He looked around. "So how often has anyone considered magnetically or chemically propelled kinetic rounds to overcome the defenses on an enemy?"

Lars said, "But shields will stop bullets."

Harry replied, "I don't know a lot because I am not an engineer. But: How fast can a bullet be shot from a cannon? Compare that to the length of a Battlestar – how long can the rail systems be, how much force could be applied, and how destructive would a kinetic shell of duranium polycarbonate be if it was sped up to a significant percentage of light speed?"

Lars actually became whiter. "That's a lot of damage."

Harry sighed. "I know. We'll have to do hollow point because it tends to explode in something rather than cutting through and hitting something on the other side."

Lars thought about it. "We'll have to check all interstellar laws and then we'll have to do a lot of calculations."

Harry said, "Still. Given enough power, we could come up with something for anyone who attacks."

Charles looked at the Knight that he could command. "You only will push this project in defense of civilians against oppressors."

Harry looked at his King, "Of course, Your Majesty."

Charles nodded. Sir Harry was beginning something that worried him, but he could also see the value. "Is there anything else?"

Harry nodded. "Something I wanted to show everyone." He opened his pouch and pulled out a small figure and set it down.

Lars looked at it. "What is this?" He reached and picked it up. "And why is it so heavy?"

Harry smirked. "That is a statue of Hecate, Greek Goddess of Magic. It is composed of a duranium alloy with the top layer being a different material."

Lars said, "Duranium isn't this heavy." Krim, William, and then Charles also picked it up.

Harry cast a spell and then said, "Pick it up."

Everyone did and Lars observed, "It's much lighter."

Harry nodded. "I applied a technique detailed in my family's grimoire. I transfigured the original substance to gold. I then had a replicator use the source of gold I had and a discarded item made of duranium alloy to make the statue of duranium with a gold sheath. I then performed another simple spell."

Harry audibly cast, "_Finite Cantata_." The surface of the statue changed.

William said, "That's Latin. Finish enchantment?"

Harry smiled, "Very good, Highness." He pointed to it. "That ended the spell to change it to gold. The normal spell is Finite Incantatum: End spoken magic. But this is specifically: End enchantment. My grimiore did not detail why this works but I am certain it had to do with the spell as it is different than a simple transfiguration. My ancestors made it and then hid it. Inexpensive stone items made with extreme detail would have been too much of disruption to normal trade.

"The spell was originally to convert stone to gold as gold is soft and easily malleable. We couldn't use it for money because it was too easily disrupted. However, properly applying spells allowed us to create items made of gold with exquisite detail, and then it could be changed back to stone. Anyone seeing such an item would assume that thousands of hours went into making it – when it was far, far less."

Each of those present picked up the item and it was heavier again. "What is the material which is covering the statue?" Lars asked.

Harry said, "I obtained for a hard price a piece that was approximately two cubic centimeters. And the material?" He looked around and finally said, "I had to make certain the sample I used was no longer radioactive – it was dead. It was a covering just a few atoms thick. But the material is Neutronium."


	17. Royal Wards

Lars called for a tricorder to be delivered and once the room was sealed again, Lars scanned the statue. "It cannot be scanned but that's consistent with neutronium." He pointed to it and said, "Change the layer to gold again?"

Harry nodded and cast the spell. He said to Lars, "That's tiring because of the extreme density but my ancestors did have a rune scheme for changing something classified as stone to gold."

Lars said, "That's good. Because whatever we might do with the knowledge would require you to be here for all of it if you didn't." Lars scanned the tricorder and then called up some information. "This gold reads as having quantum flux – like it's a poor replication."

Harry replied, "It's stable but … well, stable is a relative term."

Lars nodded. "Cast the spell to change it back?" Harry easily cast that spell. "It changes all at once, not gradually." He closed the tricorder and then deleted the record. "I'd rather not have anyone get this information without it being intentional."

"Thank you," Harry said.

Charles looked at Harry. "Do you think you could coat a whole ship using this method?"

Harry snorted. "No. First of all, that would cost too much to obtain that much nuetronium – I may be good at milking the system to make money but I'm not that good. Besides, the covering is just a few atoms thick."

Charles nodded, though he had an odd expression. "And …?"

"And it would weigh too much?" Harry said.

Lars instantly backed him up. "A ship made with thicker neutronium would be too much of a possible hazard. If a starship is out of control and threatening, another starship can – given all other options are unavailable – ram his ship into it in such a way that both ships are destroyed. Imagine a ship coated in neutronium out of control. Could it even be stopped?"

Harry scratched his neck nervously. "That wasn't even what I meant but … okay?"

Krim volunteered, "Engineer Dresbach has a point. If I had access to such a possible weapon when we were fighting off the Cardassian occupation – it is pleasant to conceptualize your enemy dying in such a way but it would have been far, far too destructive to be countenanced."

Harry said, "I actually was thinking about how hard it would be to get it moving using impulse engines."

Lars said, "Okay. That too." He looked at Harry. "Sorry for giving you that image." Harry had been instantly horrified by the thought and it had shown on his face.

"It's fine."

Charles asked, "I ask again: How could this be used?"

Harry asked Lars, "Aren't there parts which are vital to being protected? Warp nacelles, weapons emplacements, even crew quarters. There has to be vulnerable points which could benefit the safety of the ship far more than the simple application. It's like the planes from World War II."

William asked, "What do you mean?"

"It was a story I heard." Everyone looked interested. "I heard this when I was across the pond on a radio program. But there was a story where a Royal engineer was called for by the military leaders. It was too expensive to give planes armor all over but we were sending wave after wave of airplanes and Gerry was far too good with anti-aircraft fire."

"Gerry?" Krim asked.

Charles replied, "The British were fighting the Germans. We were calling them Gerry or the Gerries the same way Bajorans and the Starfleet personnel called your occupiers Cardies."

Krim nodded respectfully as he understood: Making your opponent lesser by giving them silly names was useful for morale and also made them easier to kill them.

"Anyway. Gerry was shooting down far too many of our planes and the Generals wanted a solution. So this engineer comes out and checks the planes that came back. After a thorough study, and seeing exactly where the bullet holes were on the planes that came back, the engineer made a suggestion as to where to add armor. It was implemented and losses dropped immediately."

Krim, the least-trained engineering-wise, asked, "So he suggested armoring where the enemy had created damage."

Lars interrupted. "No." Everyone looked at him. "My guess is that this engineer looked at where the surviving planes showed _no_ damage and that was where he added armor. The planes that came back had holes but those were not lethal. The planes which didn't come back were likely shot in the places that were undamaged on the returning planes, places lethal when shot. Thus: No survivors."

Harry grinned at Lars. "Exactly right. And not surprising the Chief Royal Engineer got that quicker than anyone else." Lars nodded acknowledgement. "Anyway. I am always hearing Starfleet officers talking about structural integrity fields and when the ship is being attacked, that's a problem. What could be armored where structural integrity would be shored up?"

Lars said, "I'm kind of happy you went with the Galactica model. I had done some calculations based on the television show you gave me a copy of. And I was playing around with how I would make such a ship. Now I have to turn my speculation into workable plans – and that usually takes years."

Harry winced. "Something tells me this will be needed sooner rather than later."

Charles said, "And this is why you rushed back after hearing about this 'Dominion'?"

"Right."

Charles said, "Acceptable. There is something I do know about, though."

"Which is?"

Charles said, "About a hundred years ago, Kirk's Enterprise ran into something. And it's relevant."

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"There was a large, extra-galactic device going through, destroying star systems with an anti-proton weapon of extreme power, and 'eating' the remains of the star systems for fuel. And it's hull was made of pure neutronium," Charles explained.

Krim looked at Charles. "I have never heard of this – and tales of Kirk are not limited to the Federation."

Charles said, "It was classified – the knowledge that there were threats from outside of our galaxy was terrifying and it was hoped that nothing else would be sent. The doomsday weapon was only stopped by a Starfleet ship, Constitution class, entering the weapon and detonating it's warp drive intentionally."

Lars was horrified. "How many lost?"

Charles sighed. "Only one. All other crew members had evacuated on the order of the captain because the ship was too damaged. He stayed behind … and then the weapon ate the planet he put his people on. He was so grief stricken at having set his people up to die that he was perfectly willing to kill himself to destroy it. He was relieved of command on Kirk's order because of his trauma but he escaped in a shuttlecraft and blew himself up. The Enterprise detected the drop in energy due to the warp detonation. Kirk used the other ship as a bomb and basically destroyed the doomsday weapon. The area of space it was located in is classified but there are no planets and so no one goes there. That's of course because the planet killer destroyed them."

Harry had to ask, "How big was this weapon?"

Charles replied, "Miles long. A large amount of energy went in to getting it to orbit one of the dead systems – if the hulk didn't orbit it would have eventually arrived in distant systems and run them over."

Harry whistled. "That would be massively heavy." He said with some nervousness, "And too big to transfigure?"

Charles chuckled. "I thought that you might be able to use a small portion of it."

Harry was dubious. "I don't know. My magic looks at structures as a whole usually. There are spells to change things gradually – Duro works that way."

"What is Duro?"

"It changes things to stone."

"Wouldn't stone be lighter than neutronium?" Lars asked.

Harry replied, "My spell to change it to gold works because I see neutronium as a type of rock – it's the dead skin of a burned out star. And so my spell wouldn't affect it at all."

Charles interjected, "There have been mission to collect portions from the device and there are neutronium blocks that are known only to the leaders of the Federation and United Earth."

Harry was curious, "Won't someone get upset if you told us this?"

Charles chuckled, "No one really pays attention because the neutronium isn't that useful. It was brought back in too large a chunk and none of our weapons or tools could break it down. If we tried to land it on a planet, it would have created too much damage. And so the Federation decided to store it in a safe, but accessible place."

"Which was?" Krim asked.

"At the end of the shaft in 912-Maratima, a facility in the Sol asteroid belt," Charles said with a serene tone.

Harry, and the rest, were shocked. "What?" Harry asked.

Charles laughed. "I only know about it because Sloan mentioned that it was buried there and we couldn't blow out any more rock because it might dislodge the neutronium block which would be a navigation hazard. That's why derelict starships were given over to build up facilities. The Federation didn't want us trying to open up more rock and ready made quarters were available."

Harry asked, "How big is this block?"

Charles replied, "Roughly a cubic decimeter. It's heavy enough that it has a gravitational attraction to the asteroid. So even though it's tied down, it also is stuck using gravity."

Harry was leery. "I don't know if I can perform magic in a space suit."

Charles replied, "A structure was put around it so that shields could be added. It was tied into the existing quarters. People back then wanted to touch this huge and valuable rock – even if it was, in effect, completely useless."

Harry asked, "Is it radioactive?"

Charles replied, "The weapon was too old – the radiation has dropped to reasonable levels. No more dangerous than space. Limited exposure us completely fine."

Harry replied, "But we'll have to take any lingering radiation into account if we make struts or bolts or whatever."

"There are a number of solutions that are viable," Lars said.

Harry interjected, "That still doesn't take care of the fact that I still may not be able to do anything with it. If I can find a spell which changes something gradually, then it's possible. Or a curse. Hell, I'm willing to even try other spells. But I might not be able to do anything."

Krim spoke. "There is a simple solution."

"Which is?" William asked. He had been listening as well.

Krim said with his normal tone, "There is an amount right there," he pointed at the statue. "Potter can try his spells on that piece and any that have an effect can be put into a list. And then decisions can be made if it is worth attempting the block."

Dobby, who had been listening with Winky, also said, "We can try elves' magic too."

Harry lit up. "That might work. Elves are more powerful than wizards – their bond helps stabilize them."

Charles said, "That will be a viable path of study." He looked at Harry. "How long did you plan to be on Earth?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't make plans that detailed, Sire. I knew I needed to come back and get things started – but your son and you have already made a wonderful start. We did cover some of what is possible. Krim now has direction, which is good because otherwise I would be paying him to sit around. I would like to ward whatever shuttles are used to go to this asteroid. I would make it so that anyone with harmful intent wouldn't enter."

Charles said, "We do need a name for the facility."

"Isn't it called 912-Maritima?" Lars asked.

Harry said, "The King is right – let's have a name which doesn't give away its location." He paused. "Regina Base, after Queen Elizabeth the Second, who awarded me my knighthood and is your direct ancestor, Sir."

Charles considered that for a long moment. "It doesn't flow. But I do thank you for your idea for the namesake. We will name it Elizabeth Yard. If spoken of outside of a secure area, we can call it Beth's Place. No one would expect a shipyard to be called that."

Harry instantly liked it. "If anyone fears anyone overhearing, call it Liz's House. That will signal that the room might be insecure."

Krim looked at Harry and said, "You _were_ a part of an insurgency – your paranoia is showing." Krim smirked. "I approve."

* * *

Harry spent two days casting various wards for the King. He didn't expect that they would be needed but felt that having them would be better than not. He also began planning the standard wards against flames and other threats. He had to be careful to not interfere with the technology though that was less problematic.

Lars found him and brought him down to a hole in the palace's lowest levels. "This is what I wanted you to see," Lars said happily.

Harry looked – and was stunned. Right in front of him was a largish wardstone. The top surface was covered in runes. "If I tried to charge that at once, I'd be in a coma, Lars."

Lars said, "I know. I used the computer to put together the best scheme I could for the palace. But I also read the books on the trouble of charging wards. Most wards were charged by groups of wizards because single wizards weren't powerful enough."

Harry nodded. "That's right."

"But there is another way to charge wards," Lars said with a triumphant grin.

"How is that?" Harry asked, humoring him.

"If you had time to plan and could charge them over time, all you need is a wizard to trigger the charging sequence after you tie the wards together." Lars led Harry around the stone and pointed at a central scheme. "Cast a powerful spell at that and then at this," he pointed to a different stone.

Harry said, "I would need to key in the owner first."

Lars lit up. "Oh! Right! I almost forgot." He winced. "That was a bit squicky and I was trying not to think about it." He went to a side area and came back with a small vial. "This has Charles' blood removed by his physician. We'll have to put it on the stone before you cast the spell."

Harry nodded. "This is better than cutting the palm with a knife – or I hope."

Lars said, "I checked the books – any blood obtained voluntarily. If it was secret or using force, this wouldn't work. Any clean wound would suffice is what the book said. Old wounds might be infected."

Harry nodded. "We have spells to heal cuts – that's why we used knives."

"We have hyposprays to deliver medicines below the surface and reversed they can draw blood. That's how this was gathered."

Harry nodded. "And how will we apply it?" he asked with dry amusement.

"The book said it could be brushed on but not to use cotton – I figured a nylon/polyester small paintbrush blend so that it wouldn't absorb the blood."

Harry shrugged. "I'm willing to try." He accepted the small vial and the brush and, after pouring the blood on top, he used the brush to spread it over the keying sequences.

He then quickly cast spells at the tying rune and the charging stone.

Lars was shocked. "The blood is disappearing!"

Harry said, "It's supposed to – it is being absorbed by the stone." Harry felt the beginnings of the wards pulsing across the grounds. He had a thought. "This isn't the only stone?"

Lars said, "No. We should check the others – see if they're absorbing the blood too. I really thought it would just dry."

Harry said with amusement. "It isn't that bad."

"I know. But engineers deal with plasma and circuitry – not blood."

The two men traveled to the other locations, each with a palace employee watching to ensure it wasn't disturbed. Each one was now clean of blood. Harry said, "You can now bury them."

As they walked back Lars said, "I couldn't put in the really heavy defensive wards. That would have meant getting a blood sample from every person who we wanted to allow to stay here. Or a book which the King would have to update for every visitor."

Harry stopped. "I have a question."

Lars stopped as well. "Go ahead."

Harry looked at Lars and asked, "Does Charles have the Stone of Scone?"

Lars asked, "What is the Stone of Scone?"

Harry let out a defeated breath. "If you don't know what it is, then it is unlikely it survives to this day." Harry started walking. "But then again, in this world, it likely wasn't a magical ward stone so it's not that bad."

Lars had started walking again. "What's the Stone of Scone?" he repeated his question.

Harry realized he hadn't answered. "It was a stone which was tied to the Scottish Crown. It was used as the coronation stone for Scottish kings since before the Normal Invasion. The King of England grabbed the Stone and then gave it back and then got it back when the two crowns merged. In my world, it was a wardstone of enourmous power. It was, in fact, magically the source of Royal authority to the Scottish wizards and, later, the British wizards. It was tied to the blood of the Scottish kings."

Lars said, "And the Windsor family is descended from these Kings."

"Yes. Since at least 1600, all English kings were descendants. All Scottish kings were descendents from much earlier. There was a reason even the Muggles wanted to protect the Stone of Scone for their monarchs. I suppose that in this timeline, it wasn't so magical. But it was traditional. It would have made things easier."

"How?" Lars asked. "As you said: There isn't magic here."

Harry chuckled. "Of course there is magic – it just isn't concentrated as much. If there wasn't magic, the elves and I would have lost our abilities when we got here. And although you might not believe it, the fact that for hundreds of years people believed in the stone's power, non-magical people, it is likely that there is some magical residue, or there would be if it still existed."

Lars said, "I find that hard to believe."

Harry replied, "Psionic energy is a fact – doctors have measured it in Vulcans and other species."

"But not Humans."

"Not as intense in Humans," Harry corrected. "But it's still there. And with literally millions of people having believed in the Stone's power – a million times a grain of sand can fill a nice bucket."

Lars was amused at that. "You can measure a bucketful of magic? How about a hatful? Or a thimble's worth?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever. All I'm saying is that the belief would have an effect."

They finally reached the basement again and Harry cast a spell. "The wards are at one percent – they'll be at full charge in … four days?"

"If the charging is consistent." Lars marked his notes. "I'll get the stones all buried properly. Now: When are we going to be traveling to Beth's Place? I want to see what you can do with that rock."

Harry said, "I don't know. When are we going?" At Lars' look he said, "I'm not in charge around here. Like you, I'm just a lowly pebble in the stream of life. The stream's source is Charles with William a close second. They are the ones you need to talk to. I'm taking my cues from them."

Lars said, "I'll make arrangements. Everyone who was at the meeting save the King himself, and possibly the Prince?"

Harry shrugged. "Sounds right, but I'm not the boss."

"Have you come up with a list of spells to attempt?"

Harry nodded. "I had to look up some mining spells. Since my magic sees it as another type or rock or ore, I decided that was the best course. I've authorized you to see the rune schemes I added from my grimoire, so go ahead and have the computer design the proper settings."

Lars nodded. "I am just wondering what method would be best. I know you use your wand as a beam weapon, but wards are area affect enchantments. Do we push things through a conveyer belt-like system or do we have something like a station-based system?"

"Station based?" Harry asked.

"Like a conveyer but instead of applying the ward while it's in motion, you push a collection of material to a point, apply the ward in that location, and then move the collection of material to the next step to whatever is needed then."

Harry was a bit confused. "I don't know what you mean."

Lars stopped and considered how he could explain it. He got an idea. "You know cooking, right?"

"Right."

"Now. You've eaten potato crisps, right?"

"Right."

"Now, for the most part, we either get them from a replicator or they are made by hand for individuals."

"Right."

"Imagine how they had to be made before replicators. You had to have a conveyor system. Some things could be done while it was in motion, like washing or heating the chips. But some things had to be done in a set location in the conveyer, such as peeling or cutting. The peeler would be considered a station, as would the cutter. The cooking area would be a long path – it didn't happen instantly. So your spells might be like the heating aspect where you put the material across and it happens while it's moving, or it would be done at a point where you might place a particular item and a particular took powered by runes."

Harry considered that. He knew cooking but hadn't much experience with machinery. Lars' explanation, however, was pretty clear. "The truth is we'd have to test because I don't know if it would work while it is moving."

Lars grinned. "Engineers _loooove_ testing. The only thing we like better is making things explode."


	18. Visit to Elizabeth Yard

A/N: I make Harry a bit talkative, but that will end. He's learning and you see what he is learning – right or wrong. It will speed up again soon.

Harry sat in the back of the Type 5 Shuttlecraft.

He was surprised to find that these were one type not used on starships because they were designed mainly as a passenger craft and runabouts were more versatile. The Type 5 was two pilots, up to twelve passengers, a replicator, and a refresher.

Harry glanced around. "This is really a simple ship."

William, another passenger, said, "It's similar to the shuttles that used to be larger Federation ships, like the Constitution class. But it only carries people and has minimum facilities, so it's not that useful for deep space."

"Does it have warp engines?" Harry asked.

William replied, "This one does, but that's not necessarily always true. But it also has fast impulse engines – we'll be at Elizabeth Yard in three hours."

"How many other ships will we run into?" Harry asked.

"Not many," Lars answered from his own seat. "Mars is currently out of line and the asteroid containing Elizabeth Yard is outside of normal shipping lanes. Though I am certain that a number of ships within the system have noted us on scanners."

Harry was confused. "So it won't be too hard to suss out the location."

The pilot, a man attached to the palace turned, "Actually, that's not precisely true. While it's obvious we are not on normal lanes, our entrance will not be directly to the location of 912-Maritima. We will travel within the belt for the final several hundred kilometers."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Harry asked incredulously.

The pilot chuckled. "Not really. Despite concerns, most asteroids are fairly stable in terms of position within the belt. Only where there has been a disruption do you have them colliding against each other with regularity. The computer will scan and locate a safe route based on the projected routes. As the pilot, I only need to act if something unusual changes things like a weapon striking an asteroid or some other ship running into something. Not likely."

Harry wanted to be sure. "So you don't fly manually?"

"Not if you don't want to accidentally crash – or if you're deliberately practicing. Sol's asteroid belt is quite low on the Shiller rating," the pilot said.

Harry said, "I haven't run into that yet in my pilot training."

The pilot nodded. "The Shiller rating is how unpredictable the various rocks and particles within an asteroid belt are predicted to be. Sol's belt has been here for almost as long as the system has been here. That means the rocks that would have left or run into each other have mostly done so. If a belt is created because of a planetary destruction, it could take thousands or even millions of years for the belt to stabilize fully. That would be a higher Shiller rating. Anything past a 5 is considered too dangerous for capital ships and anything beyond a 6 is considered too dangerous for even small, maneuverable craft."

"How about Sol's belt?" Harry asked.

"It's a 1.0. Shiller was Human and based his scale on the local belt," the pilot answered with amusement.

Harry was curious. "What's lower than a 1.0?"

"Planetary orbits. Neptune and Uranus actually are higher than Earth because they switch spots after a couple of billion years."

"And a zero?"

"An almost dead sun with no planets or other close objects to modify the orbit would be a Zero. Even Sol moves a bit against the planets in her orbit."

"Sounds like a useless scale unless you're talking about asteroids," Harry observed. He paused. "And even then, most ships can calculate routes, even shuttles."

"Pretty much," the pilot admitted. "Which is why the scale isn't actually required anymore, though anyone who specializes in non-interstellar piloting within the Sol system will have learned about it. Hasn't been required in about, ohhh, 50 years."

Harry was annoyed. "So why did you just spend several minutes explaining it?"

The pilot looked around. "Do you see anything else here to keep me from utter boredom?"

There were several laughs at that, including Harry's. "Good point."

And so Harry spent the time to the belt picking the pilot's brain for additional information whether it was important or not.

The pilot became more serious as they entered the belt. "Okay. Even though there shouldn't be any trouble, now is the time to pay attention. Activating shields."

Harry looked at Lars curiously. He said, "Just in case – it might not be that hard, but there's no reason not to take precautions."

"Good point," Harry said.

* * *

Harry was nervous, as were the elves, as the pilot flew them past asteroids of all size. But Harry had to admit the pilot was correct: It was far less dangerous than it first appeared. Even though several asteroids spun in place, and there was some debris which flew about, for the most part it the path was quiet and easy to navigate.

"Why are some spinning?" he finally asked.

Lars, sitting across from him on the other side of the aisle, shrugged. "It's the way it is. Some spin fast, some spin slow. 912-Maratima spins once every 1080 hours or so. It's kind of slow – that's why it was picked originally when you consider there were other asteroids with easier formations. But those were spinning faster and so were harder to judge accurately, especially with tech during the late twenty first and early twenty second centuries when we first started exploring the rest of Sol system regularly."

Harry had read the history here. While several ships were sent off starting as early as the mid-1990s, those launches were limited to secret launches under military secrecy. Khan Noonien Singn had been sent off in such a ship. But actual craft designed to travel within the system and return on a public, known basis didn't occur until twenty five years later.

The space program run by the almost criminally underfunded International Space Agency and the US's NASA was virtually stalled by the loss of the Ares IV Mars craft. Something seemed to just appear and disappear and the craft just disappeared with it and no trace remained. Added to the fact that there was constant war, and space travel took a long time to get off the ground.

Elizabeth Yard was possible only because the militaries of the world were attempting to create space superiority against other Earth nations. Great Britain was less vicious, but almost no nation was innocent. Even the United States had largely succumbed to corrupt influences, though the people who lived in that former nation had retained a certain idealism.

Zefram Cochrane almost had to come from that area because only the Americans were so insufferably optimistic in the face of such completely shite circumstances.

* * *

Harry's thoughts were interrupted. "Challenge code coming in on designated frequency."

William stood up and walked forward. "Open channel." The pilot did and nodded. "Authorization: William Windsor, Prince of Wales. Security Code: Zebra Zebra Tango, Zed Zed Theta."

The pilot read his instruments. "The challenge has disappeared. We now have authorization." If they had been unauthorized, alarms would have sounded and ships would have been sent to challange. Also, there were phaser emplacements.

Harry observed the opening. "That hole in the rock?"

William chuckled. "That hole." The shuttle traveled through the dim opening and, after a short distance, a larger cavern lit appeared with brighter lights. There were various facilities in the rock walls. "How will they make the ship in the dark?"

Lars said, "There are lights which can be lit if needed. But until the actual building begins, they aren't needed."

Harry shrugged. "Okay, I suppose." He sat back down.

Krim spoke up from his seat. He had been sitting and talking with the several security personnel he had brought. "Who do I speak to for coordination? I work for Sir Harry, and yet this seems too large a facility for him to be the one in charge."

William replied, "Currently, we're in charge, though we had to form a corporation to manage it, to take care of the hiring and management of people, and to manage logistics. The name of the corporation is Resplendent Innovations, wholly private and owned by the Windsor Family, at least according to the papers filed. It is a whole lot of bureaucracy which, I am happy to say, is managed by lawyers and business people loyal to the House of Windsor."

Harry asked, "Didn't Shakespeare say 'let's kill all the lawyers'?"

William chuckled. "He did, but he was a playwright and not a politician."

Harry grinned and said, "That's another dirty word where I come from."

William rolled his eyes in amusement. "Some people are just never satisfied." William turned to Krim. "When we disembark, tell the security people we meet who you are and they'll make sure you get in touch with the right person."

* * *

It took half an hour but they were finally within the habitation and the tour began. "It's quiet."

"We're just getting started," the man leading them said. "We're installing the foundry. The industrial replicator will take the ore that gets put into the hoppers and shape the items. However, we have to wire up the hoppers so that we can designate materials. We'll have to have some ore processing as some ores have to be prepared first. But that's actually fairly easy as we can use the plasma from the engines providing power to bring the ore to temperature. On a starship, the engines are cooled and the heat is converted to usable forms to power other systems. Here, the energy will be also be dumped into the forges. Unneeded energy will be stored as emergency backup just as it's done on a starship."

Harry didn't know energy management but was curious if cooling or heating charms would be useful. He actually doubted it because the levels of heat those spells dealt with were small and in space there was no environment to take the heat from or to dump the heat to. Magic wasn't as "magical" as many wizards thought. He knew because he had been studying things using Federation scanners and knew far more than the people from home ever knew.

Then again, there was an interaction with subspace and magic didn't seem to cause instabilities like warp engines. It was likely that the limits of what magic could do had to do with what was safe – anything which was unsafe was likely what caused magical backlash. Or at least that was what he was guessing. He wasn't that knowledgeable.

A lot of what he guessed was based on limited knowledge of both technology and magic. As far as he was concerned, as long as it worked? He was right. So he would still get the charms tested for usefulness – probably far from anything which could be damaged.

Besides, if he let Lars run the tests and they caused explosions, Lars would be just as happy.

* * *

Lars and Krim were doing things and Harry and William had to wait until they were finished to go to the secure area where the block was. The elves were taking care of their overnight quarters (his, the elves, and the Prince's). Once matters were resolved, they would go to the final area.

William had suggested continuing the exploration and Harry had agreed, but there really wasn't much to see right then. Both were just as happy to talk about things both unimportant and not.

"I almost can't believe that my negotiating got all of this started."

William grinned. "Dad was really happy when you showed up, and then not quite as happy when you started asking for things in return. But nothing you asked for could equal what you brought as far as Britain was concerned, so he said yes. He's still a bit leery about the huge ship though."

Harry shrugged. "In the end, it will be owned by Earth. My ship will be the modified Nova. I actually don't understand how I got him to agree to the big project."

William glanced around and no one was close. "Actually, even if he's leery, he really was impressed by the movies you showed him during your first visit. Some of those ships … like the Imperial Super-destroyer?" William led Harry over to a bench and they sat.

Harry laughed. "That was just ridiculous as an idea. That ship had to be miles long." Harry relaxed. It really was quiet and no one would comment on them sitting there doing nothing.

William got into the subject. "According to what we could calculate, the Super Destroyer was somewhere between 18 and 19 kilometers. The smaller ships were near enough to what you asked for, even if the Galactica seems more … well, it's a bit softer."

Harry considered that. "I can see that. The Star Destroyers' triangular appearance made them seem like daggers."

"Right. The Galactica, especially the one you're basing this project on, is more rounded like a Federation vessel. The idea of having a ship which can do large-scale humanitarian or defense was actually what sold my father. It's the kind of thing you want to have on hand but only send out when needed. But it would deter aggression by certain other governments."

Harry wondered, "Should we call it a Battlestar?"

William shrugged. "That's a class name and we name ship classes based on the name of the first ships of that type. We could call it a Galactica class even if the Galactica never actually existed."

Harry was amused. "Doesn't that violate your conventions?"

William said, "It wouldn't be the first time: The Constitution class came from the planned fleet flagship but they made several advances during the construction phase and planned even more. NCC-1701, the USS Enterprise, was finished first and was made the fleet flagship temporarily. Constitution wasn't actually finished until seven others had been completed because of the constant urge to make upgrades. By the time it was done, Enterprise was solidified in the role and NCC-1700 was just another ship. "

Harry asked, "What does this have to do with anything?"

William smirked. "As I said: The class doesn't have to be named after a ship actually completed. We can call this the Galactica Class. Its name can be something else. We should probably keep the term 'Battlestar' to ourselves."

Harry pouted at that. "I actually liked Galactica as a name."

"It sounds grand, I will admit," William conceded.

Harry chuckled, "We could always call it the USS Godzilla."

William was confused. "Godzilla?"

Harry smirked. "An old Earth reference." He paused. "I actually don't know if they made those movies in this timeline. Godzilla was a huge space lizard in Japanese-made movies after World War II. He would show up and destroy Tokyo. At first he was considered the evil creature, but then later movies had him fighting later monsters who attacked Earth. He became the monster that the people rooted for."

William said drily, "The King of Monsters is not quite the image we want to convey."

Harry laughed. "That was a title that Godzilla had!" After he got control of himself Harry mused, "Gigantica? Gargantua?"

William was appalled. "You're _horrible_ at naming things."

Harry shrugged. "Most wizards where I come from are, actually." He grinned. "I'm not usually _that_ bad. I was just disappointed I might lose Galactica. If you want horrible naming, you should have met my friend Hermione. She was wretched in her cleverness."

William was curious. "Example?"

Harry smirked, "The first House Elf she had heard of was Dobby who was horribly treated until I tricked his first master into freeing him. But Dobby was a bit of a nutter to most elves and wizards because he wanted paid. Most House Elves hated freedom. Hermione heard about House Elves working at Hogwarts without being paid and without days off and wanted to free them all – despite the House Elves being completely against it. She created an organization called the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare."

William put that through his mind. "Spew? She called it spew?"

Harry laughed. "No. When Ron and I, her two closest friends put that together and called it spew, she was careful about correcting us and saying: 'No. It's S. P. E. W.' No amount of arguing would convince her it was a horrible choice."

William laughed. "Isn't she the one who helped plan your jump and did all the work collecting seeds?"

"Yep. She was probably the most brilliant woman I have ever met. We just never let her name anything ever again," Harry said with amusement.

William grinned. "Well, I'm going to make a suggestion based on the history of the House of Windsor. Let's call it the Griffon. There are a few spellings we could use."

Harry actually stopped in his tracks. "Actually? That's pretty bloody brilliant."

William smiled. "I thought so." He paused. "Why do you like it so much?"

"Griffins are magical creatures. Half lion, half eagle. Proud, noble, and very horrible when someone upsets them. They can fly, they can attack, and they do not suffer insult. Relatives of the hippogriff actually, and even worse when insulted."

"I've never heard of the hippogriff. What are they and what's the differences?"

Harry answered, "Griffins are half eagle, half lion. Hippogriffs are half eagle, half horse. Hippogriffs are actually easier to deal with – we studied them at our school and I even rode one after I befriended it. I would never try to ride a griffin – they did not take to domestication. At all."

William said, "In our world, griffins were considered the divine protectors. Medieval belief saw them as a mixture of the king of birds and the king of beasts. They were not actually a real creature here."

Harry chuckled. "They are where I'm from."

William nodded. "All the better to make it the name of a ship. If we ever build another one, it can be the Hippogriff." The last was said with amusement.

Harry replied, "The Simurgh, the Phoenix, the Garuda, the Rukh, the Chol: All of these were mythical birds of supreme benevolence, power, and/or divinity. Each of them could be good names. Of course, where I'm from, the phoenix is a real bird. My wand has a phoenix feather core. There is also the Thunderbird which is also related."

William commented, "I've never heard of many of those."

Harry shrugged. "When I got to this timeline, I was looking up phoenixes to see if they were real or mythology here. I ran off on a tangent when I was looking. Different regions all had birds in their mythology. The Persians had the Simurgh, Rukh or Roc was also Persian, Garuda was from Hindu culture, and Chol is from the Torah and was thought to reference a bird like the phoenix. I don't know why I memorized that list, but the names stuck with me."

William said, "They would be odd ship names."

Harry shrugged. "But they would be good. We could also look for alien birds of legend. Of course far too many ship names are based on Human history or beliefs. I can't understand why more things aren't named after Vulcan, Tellarite, Andorian, or other histories."

William considered that. "Probably because English has become the Interstellar language of choice and Starfleet and the Federation are centered at Earth."

Harry shrugged. "Not something I'm ever going to change – I was just making an observation. But since these would be based on an Earth concept, naming them after mythological Earth creatures would probably work."

William was dubious. "I can't imagine more than one or two Galacticas ever being built."

Harry smirked. "You say that now but I know Human nature. We get one and it works and there will be clambering for a second and third one to be built, as long as all early missions are successful."

William smirked. "Starfleet Captains will applaud the success. The politicians and bean counters will hate you."

"I'm used to being hated by government types," Sir Harry Potter of Magical Great Britain commented drily.

* * *

After ten minutes, Lars and Krim finally arrived with the elves appearing with them. Krim spoke first. "I have my people doing physical inspections despite scanners reporting nothing. We are inspecting areas that appear the most innocent first. I will have to ensure that power usage is correlated to listed systems to ensure that there are no discrepancies between them. There will be other checks that need to be made."

Harry whistled. "You really understand security, don't you."

Krim smirked and said with his sardonic tone, "I was a part of an insurgency. I know how infiltrators operate."

"I feel _so_ much better about having hired you," Harry observed. Krim only kept his expression.

William stood. "That will take some time, so you'll be based here it appears. But now it's time to inspect the secured area."

Harry immediately knew he meant to check out the block. The group made their way to a secure door. There was a warning. "Artificial Gravity Reduces Beyond This Point." Another sign said, "Authorized Access Only".

William looked at Krim and said, "I will get this authorized for your access." Krim nodded. William then gave his security access code and the door opened. The group entered and the lights turned on. The door closed behind the group.

Harry looked forward and he could see another door. "Behind the door?"

"So I was told," William said.

They stepped forward and all could feel the gravity reducing. And after the next door was opened, there were magnetic boots and bars to hold oneself down. Harry glanced around. "They really didn't do much to make this easily accessible."

William replied, "That was because the neutronium was already difficult to move under the minimal gravity of the asteroid. They couldn't put gravity generators under it after beyond a minimum amount."

Harry said, "Well, I'll have to lock myself down – some spells can't be cast unless you're solidly planted."

Lars suggested the magnetic boots and Harry agreed. With a few minutes of instruction, Harry was planted in front of the block. Lars was holding himself down to a bar and his other hand held a tricorder.

"Okay. Go ahead."

Winky, who had been keeping herself quiet, was holding Harry's list and would read each possible spell.

Harry started running through spells from their level of difficulty starting with first year spells. There weren't many of those he tried, but there were some from 4th and 5th years. He tried blasting hexes, piercing spells, cutting charms, and other types at different levels.

Lars gave up trying to read changes because the material couldn't be scanned. But he did physically feel the surface to see if there was any change.

Surprisingly, there was a very slight indent when Harry cast a full-power piercing hex. After a discussion, however, it was decided that using that would not be sufficient to do anything without killing him with exhaustion.

Finally they had gotten to the mining spells, of which a few were specialized versions of the other charms Harry had tried. The gouging spell did produce a result, but it was not enough unless Harry was willing to cast it repeatedly.

William said, "I am amazed that you can affect the block at all. How many times would you have to cast the gouging spell to make a significant mark or to cut out a portion?"

Harry considered it. "Truthfully, that would take testing. There is a possibility but I do not want to try it unless I have to."

"Why?"

Harry replied, "It's could temporarily harm me." Maxima added to a spell could make an effect but it could be extremely draining as it allowed one to push one's magic to go beyond normal limits. The other possibility would be to consciously gather as much magic as possible but that was also possibly dangerous as well in the short term. It was less likely damaging because it depended completely on a wizard's ability to gather magic and willpower. But Harry had done it in the past.

William instantly said, "Let's not go that route unless we have no other choice. What's next?"

Winky listed a spell. Harry peered at the block. "I didn't want it to get this far."

Lars asked, "Why is that, Sir Harry?"

Harry glanced around. "You know how most mining is done without advanced technology?"

Krim replied, "I imagine very similarly to how the Cardassians strip-mined Bajor: Planting explosives and then cleaning up what breaks off."

Harry nodded. "Exactly right. Earth started doing it 1500 years ago now with black powder. Magical people wanted to mind gold and other precious metals and so they came up with methods using only magic to mimic that. But we'll have to shield the inner walls because of concussive force."

Dobby spoke up. "Master Harry. Elves have spells to break rocks for building castles and manors."

Harry turned to look at the two elves who had been following along. "Do you both know the magic?"

Winky replied, "Dobby learned from elders, Master Harry. Female elves did not build and so I was not taught this magic."

Harry looked at the elves. "Well then. It would be wonderful if you tried."

Dobby paused. "Master Harry?"

"Dobby?"

"You must order me to break stone. This magic depends on bond and bond between you and me is very strong. Bond will also prevent me from using too much magic because you care for elves and our health. Your intent is very important to this magic."

Harry was surprised. This was something he had not been aware of. "How strongly do I need to order?"

Winky answered, "Bond-driven magic must be ordered with no question. Master must want order carried out."

Harry asked quietly, "Is it dangerous?"

Dobby said, "I would never want old master to give me this order. Old master would not care if the elf died. You want elves to stay healthy. I am not afraid, Master Harry."

Harry gave the elves a long look. Both looked resolute. Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on forming his intent precisely. He did not want to make a mistake. Finally he opened his eyes and said with intent, "Break the stone, Dobby."

Dobby turned and after a moment's concentration he snapped his fingers. Harry was probably the individual least surprised that a small fissure appeared in the block of solid neutronium. Dobby concentrated one more time and then snapped his fingers again.

Harry called out, "Dobby, stop!"

Dobby stood there breathing heavily, something Harry had not seen the elf ever do. The crack in the block had widened

"Is there anything I can do to help make him less tired?" he asked Winky.

Winky replied, "Dobby needs rest and food now."

Harry looked at the Prince who was staring at the elves in awe. "We're going to be sleeping here and returning to Earth tomorrow night, right?"

William said, "Yes."

"Okay. We'll be ready to go to our assigned quarters in a moment." He looked at Winky. "Do you have wiggenweld potion?"

Winky replied, "Yes, Master Harry."

"Will that help Dobby?"

Dobby turned at that. "Elves have not used this potion, Master Harry."

Winky was about to say no but considered it. "What ingredients are in the potion?" Harry listed them all out. Winky said, "There is no harm in trying."

Harry said, "Winky? Take a small sip, a very small sip. If it has no effect or feels wrong, tell me."

Winky nodded and reached into the pouch she was wearing to search for it. Krim asked, "What is this wiggenweld and what effect does it have?"

Harry replied, "It's a potion to wake people up from magical sleep. But it is also a strengthening potion. I had considered pepper-up but that works mostly by warming someone – it also is a cure for the common cold. But I always wondered why we brewed Wiggenweld in first year – draught of the living death which it counters isn't brewed until much later. A note by a potion's master revealed the strengthening aspect. Greater Wiggenweld is more advanced but also uses rarer ingredients. I'd never try that except on what it's listed for." Harry had seen it in the Half-Blood Prince's copy of the potion's book. It wasn't something he talked to others about before that moment.

Winky finally found the potion and did what was asked. She looked up a few moments after she had taken a tiny sip. "It is making me more awake and a little stronger."

"Give it to Dobby." Winky handed it over and, after Dobby received a nod from Harry, he drank it down.

The effect was almost instant. Dobby had gradually been recovering but still was breathing a bit hard. Suddenly, he stopped drooping and stood up straighter. He looked much stronger. "Master Harry! I am recovered. I would like to try again."

Harry looked at Dobby. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Harry sighed. "Okay. Dobby. Break the stone."

Dobby turned once more and, after a long moment, snapped his fingers. Harry almost instantly called out, "Dobby, stop!"

Dobby looked slightly winded. "We'll try again later – I want you two to go rest. Winky? Take care of Dobby and make sure he's okay."

"Yes, Master Harry." Winky grabbed Dobby and the two disappeared with a pop, Harry assumed to their assigned quarters.

William said, "Those two are loyal and devoted to you, Sir Harry."

Harry sighed. "Yes they are, Highness. It's times like this that I am humbled by it."

Lars had been inspecting the block. "He definitely opened a significant crack in it."

Harry looked and saw that Lars was right. "Step back."

Larks quickly got out of the way and Harry, after concentrating a long moment, cast the most powerful blasting charm he could without adding maxima.

And to everyone's astonishment, even Harry's, the fairly large block cracked along the fissures that had been created by Dobby's magic. Everyone stood there stunned for a long, long moment.

Lars finally said, "Someone remind me to never get on the bad side of Sir Harry's retainers. Ever."

Krim said, "I have seen it and I can scarcely believe it. It violates everything I have considered the natural order."

William said, "That was certainly unexpected."

Harry snorted. "That's British understatement if I've ever heard it. I'm saying right now that this falls under the contracts. Only the King can be told about this. Understood, you two?" He was referring to Krim and Lars. Harry had no control over the Royal family.

"Understood," both replied together.

William said, "I will definitely not mention this to anyone who doesn't need to know. I'm going to lock this area down."

Harry was in complete agreement.


	19. Return to Station Life

The three Magicals were happy to be on the USS Glen Lyon on the way back to Deep Space 9. It would drop off the three magicals and then move on to Vulcan as it was attached to the Botanical Institutes, not the Royal Household members.

The group had spent five days at Elizabeth Yard. Through extreme effort on Dobby's part and a bit on Harry's as well, the block of nuetronium had been broken into small enough pieces that the process Lars Dresbach had planned could now deal with the pieces.

One enchanted box could convert the smaller pieces of neutronium to transfigured gold. Lars had been keyed in as the only person who could "activate" the box other than Harry or Prince William. The Gold could be coated onto other metals or formed into small items and then a larger enchanted box would remove the transfiguration.

Winky helped to charge the runes as Harry and Dobby were magically drained.

Under Lars Dresbach's direction, the Royal Engineers had come up with several uses for neutronium coatings.

Kinetic weapons were uncommon due to a number of reasons but a primary one was quit simple: It was too easy for phasers or disrupters to melt and deform weapon barrels, thus making them dangerous to fire. Extended barrels coated in neutronium in a layer a few atoms thick would not suffer that damage, making Harry's desire for rail guns viable. It could also coat barrels of other weapons.

The plans for weapons and armor on the Griffon had been further discussed.

Flak batteries would be of minimal use. While it was impressive on a television or video screen, they were useless against highly maneuverable capital ships such as those employed by most races.

Ablative armor worked on a principle related to the idea: The outer later dispersed energy and then created a flak-like vapor layer to intercept weapon's fire. Harry couldn't think of a magical equivalent outside of wards which would require testing.

The frame of the ship, however, would have reinforced with nuetronium coating. Struts and other weak points could be included.

The greatest part, however, was that certain warp engine components that would be virtually permanently maintenance-free due to their composition. Neutronium did not shrink or expand, nor transfer heat, unless within an active sun and even then it was minimal. The liquid temperature of nuetronium was unknown and was thought to be in the hundreds of millions of degrees.

The Griffon would need multiple warp engines synchronized together to create a large warp field or absolutely massive warp coils to accomplish the same goal.

According to what he had been told, multiple warp coils would need almost excessive alignment. Attacks to one set of coils could disable the ship's ability to travel. Huge warp coils would need less alignment but could take more time to reset or repolarize if needed.

This was the reason why ships were not made as a large as the Griffon would be. Harry made the suggestion of having active and inactive coils. It would be more expensive but the ability to form Neutronium or neutronium-plated parts for Starfleet warp engines would bring in enough income for the project.

The actual neutronium had been owned by the Federation. The ability to form it was "proprietary technology" owned by Resplendent Innovations, a corporation owned by the Royal family of Great Britain.

Following a secret agreement between the Royal House and Starfleet, an agreement was already reached in principle for Resplendent to retain 20 percent of the recovered neutronium based on William having brought back a neutronium version of a vital warp core component for four different warp engine types.

Such was the value that the Federation was willing to deal. And to the benefit of the project they more interested in trading supplies than supplying money for what could be provided. This included a large quantity of ore used to build the ship at Elizabeth Yard. There was _some_ monetary compensation as well.

William was given authorization to negotiate on Harry's behalf. Harry was insistent that Dobby and Winky receive a significant recompense for their part. It helped that legally the two were now Dobby and Winky Potter. What had been understood was now legally recognized: The two were considered married.

The King had been asked to officiate a ceremony and he had done so with enthusiasm, despite the ceremony being far different than what he was used to. The only thing that caused hesitation was that the ritual included Harry formally giving permission as their Lord.

Harry did not want to tell King Charles that in his timeline the House Elf Bonding ceremony had been witnessed and then bastardized into a ceremony used for serfs on a Lord's lands. He was happy to explain to Charles that the idea of Droit de signeur was a later misinterpretation and was not something actually practiced. At least as far as Harry knew.

Still, the time at Earth had been productive and Harry was happy to be returning to Deep Space 9.

Krim had been curious. "Why return there? Much of what you are doing is centered here now and you will be needed for some testing Dresbach wants to accomplish."

Harry considered that for a long moment and then shrugged. "Something about the wormhole being the closest connection to my home dimension. The way is likely closed but it was connected for at least a few hundred years." He had never found if the Prophets had reopened the connection on his request. "I also think that I need to get magical ingredient grown there instead of on Earth. And so I live at Deep Space 9. But I can come back as needed."

The Glen Lyon would take a while to get back due to the Warp 5 limitations and so Harry spent his time either working on things suggested by Lars so they could be shipped or couriered back or he amused himself with local entertainment. It was time to see what the Federation had available.

* * *

Winky and Dobby were inspecting their storage. Winky came to speak to him. "Master Harry?"

"Winky Potter?" he asked cheekily and watched her blush momentarily before continuing.

"Invisibility cloaks need respelling."

"Bring them." She snapped her fingers and they appeared. "Okay. Put each one on and let me see." They had three. Even as she put the first one on, he saw what she meant.

"Okay. I have to reapply the bedazzling spell." He sighed. "I almost wish I didn't leave my old cloak for Teddy, but I didn't want to take chances. I'm glad I didn't leave the wand."

"Demiguise is good enough for here, Master Harry. You do not need the Peverell Cloak."

Harry chuckled. "True, Winky, but it would have been nice. Let's go back to sorting our storage."

A few things he had forgotten they had brought came to light, some of which were for amusement only. He was embarrassed to run across a small collection of porn movies from his Earth – he had gotten them during a time when he was feeling randy but nervous to reach out to women. He had then forgotten them.

He also had two copies of Playwizard. There was a reason why Wizards preferred Playwizard to Muggle magazines. Each copy was spelled to react positively to whoever was reading it. He just didn't know if that worked for non-Humans.

He smirked as he considered gifting one of the magazines to Jake Sisko. His father would probably object though. Harry considered. No. He would definitely have objected. In this case, it was likely better to respect the local culture and so he gave up on that idea.

He truly should just destroy them, but it was something from home and he was reluctant to do that. Finally, he just stored them away again.

* * *

By the time they got close to the Bajoran system their storage was sorted and Dobby and Winky had gotten a lot of hands on experience helping the crew.

There was thing Harry wanted to know. "How effective were the Bussard collectors after our modification?"

The ship's Chief Engineer answered, "We were reading at or near to full on deuterium all the way here. We didn't have to visit any systems but this was one trip. We won't be able to give a statistical certainty until we've traveled for a while."

The man was right: It could be that they happened to have to gotten lucky and ran into unusual concentrations of deuterium and other hydrogen molecules. As a general principle, starships visited star systems regularly because hydrogen was rare in space. But it was possible to find areas where it was common enough.

Harry nodded. "Okay. Thanks. I will get the other reports through the people running the experiments."

* * *

Harry was on the Bridge when the Glen Lyon arrived within the Bajor system. Communications called out, "Urgent call from Deep Space 9."

"Let's hear it."

"USS Glen Lyon this is Deep Space 9. A young boy is piloting a Skrreean transport attempting to land on Bajor. The Bajoran government have given orders that the ship not be allowed to land. Request assistance in retrieving the ship."

Harry was a spectator as the Glen Lyon, much more powerful than the freighter or the Bajoran interceptors, was able to grab the ship in a tractor beam and beam away those on board before. The engines had been locked in to land and the Bajorans had fired on the ship such that it was beyond saving.

Harry was witness to the boy being berated by a woman upon their docking at the station. He had wondered if he was ill but apparently what he had worried were boils were normal on that people.

He couldn't imagine the evolutionary purposes of that but whatever.

* * *

Harry had found out what was happening and was actually a bit pissed off. He asked Major Kira, "I can understand the Provisional government saying no – but their aggression is extreme."

Major Kira replied, "The Skrreeans arrived during a particularly hard part of the year in terms of the famine. We have found a place where they can resettle – Draylon II."

"What kind of world is Draylon II?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's Class M, low radiation, good soil, ideal for farming," she replied earnestly. "The Federation, the Provisional Government, and I think that the Skrreeans can thrive there."

When Harry heard the other side of the story, he could understand why the woman Haneek was upset. Harry had to admit that the Bajorans had been quite dismissive but Haneek's people had made assumptions. Harry could also see that the Bajorans were treating the Haneek as second-class citizens.

* * *

Harry put in a call to New Buckingham. King George took the call directly.

"Majesty. A surprise that _you're_ handling this."

"_We're_ always interested in hearing the reports of _Our_ knight," he replied in a faux-superior tone before chuckling.

Harry snorted. "Sir, do remember that you no longer rule?"

"I know. Why the urgent call?" he asked with some amusement.

Harry sighed more somberly. "There are three million refugees fleeing servitude. A matriarchal society, the Skrreeans – and their language is completely foreign, it's a miracle the translator finally understood it – had been conquered centuries ago. They had been forced labor for another species and that species being taken over by the Dominion allowed the Skrreeans to escape."

Charles was surprised. "So this woman is like Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt."

"A good analogy actually – the men in that society are kind of how Humans treated women in that time period." Harry considered how to explain. "From her society's mores, she's quite generous to the men. However, she's got a chip on her shoulder and feels slighted in how her people are being treated especially by the Bajorans. I kind of see both sides. Unfortunately, they latched on to Bajor as their promised land and didn't take the Provisional Government's rejection well. They're feeling still persecuted. Both sides, I think, could have handled it better."

"So what are you asking?"

Harry sighed. "Two things: 1) I would request the USS Glen Lyon being seconded to the resettlement operation – it will take a few weeks. 2) I also request permission to promise the use of the British reclamators on Bajor as required to help them set up on Draylon II." Harry glanced around. "Operations like this make we wish we had the Griffon already launched," he admitted quietly.

Charles replied, "Exactly the kind of operation it will be suited for. I will make inquiries as far as the Glen Lyon."

"Thank you, Sir. Oh! By the way, speaking of biblical stories there was a name we should have considered."

"What?" Charles asked leerily.

"Goliath," Harry grinned.

Charles rolled his eyes. "Remember, he got knocked out by a little man named David. Griffon is better."

Harry laughed. "I agree, but it was another giant thing name starting with G. Gargantua, Godzilla, Goliath … gigantica was just a play off of the descriptive word."

"I'm ignoring the end of this conversation. New Buckingham, Out."

Harry was amused as he closed off his side.

* * *

Sisko came to Harry. "Would you be offended if I used up the canned goods you gave over to my use to feed the Skrreean refugees? Our resources are being heavily taxed."

Harry replied, "I gave them to you to use as you see fit. I would recommend saving some supplies, but only enough for a man or two for a few months. But whatever you like. I contacted King Charles about arranging for the Glen Lyon to be seconded to you to assist in the Skreean resettlement for a few weeks. You can contact the Chief Engineer over there as well – his deuterium tanks are quite full, due in part to an experiment the Glen Lyon is doing for the Chief Royal Engineer. The extra fuel could help power the replicators to work extra hard to provide food possibly?"

Sisko looked at Harry surprised. "I was not expecting the extra help. Thank you."

Harry shrugged. "Despite my primitive origin and unhealthy obsession with wealth, I do understand the value of helping people."

Sisko was tempted to roll his eyes at the passive aggressive portion but took it for its helpfulness and was able to withhold the urge. "Thank you. I will have Chief O'Brien contact the Chief Engineer on the Glen Lyon."

* * *

Harry knew how difficult it was placing people. He found a harried Miles O'Brien. "Chief? Aren't there a large number of unused sections of the station? I think right now even having access to the corridors would be helpful to you."

Miles got an excited look and then deflated. "Can't. While we've gone through to remove any traps – Cardassians love leaving traps when they leave things behind – we have to be careful because there are a large number of Cardassian voles. The operation to begin to confront that isn't scheduled to start for another month."

Harry nodded. "How many voles are there?"

"Thousands likely," Miles replied.

Harry said, "How about this? I'll pull out a bag of knuts – little bronze coins from back home, pretty useless for anything here but I've got loads of them. You tell the Skrreeans that the areas we have to use were sealed off but have these voles. Tell them you'll give a token – a knut – for each vole they catch and turn in. For every twenty knuts, the Skrreean matriarch can turn it in for a slip of latinum. I'll even provide a bar of latinum for the cause – a bar should be enough to cover two thousand voles. This can be used to distract the refugees and keep them distracted while the elders make arrangements. A bar of latinum isn't much but it will be theirs. They can buy treats for the kids or something with it."

Miles said, "I'll talk to Commander Sisko about the idea of opening the sealed areas but you can explain the idea of a vole hunt to them."

Harry asked, "What do you do with the voles, anyway?"

"They're pests and dead voles are disposed of as biological waste."

It sounded cruel but it was necessary. Voles were the Cardassian equivalent of rats and feral rats weren't given much better treatment where he was from. It was too bad they didn't have anyone who had thousands of snakes to feed. Harry nodded. "You could ask Quark if he knows anyone who would buy them," he said flippantly.

* * *

Harry was at the docking areas when the Skrreeans started being moved. He had provided the latinum as promised and even a bag of treats he had replicated for the Skrreean matriarch to gift to the children of her people – Harry though the every-flavor beans he originally thought of wouldn't go over well.

He saw Major Kira coming looking hopeful. "I woudn't, if I were you," he said to her.

She looked at Harry and knew what he was saying. "Why?"

Harry sighed. "She really considered thought your people were short-sighted. I can't say who is right, but she doesn't consider the Bajorans kindly."

Major Kira looked resigned. "I really think it ended up the best for both of our peoples."

Harry replied, "Maybe so. But you can't make everyone happy. She couldn't understand why 3 million farmers to work areas you don't have enough farmers to use right now wasn't convincing enough. I think there would have been cultural clashes but who knows whether it was a mistake to say no?"

Major Kira considered that for a long moment and then said in a somewhat morose tone, "I don't." Harry nodded in sympathy.

* * *

Harry was busy for the next days overseeing the business interests he had on Bajor as well as checking in with Lars back in the Sol system.

The Nova-class project's plans had been modified. Harry actually quite liked the shape of the Intrepid-class he had seen when helping to deliver the neutronium warp engine components. He saw the Nova-class ship and in his mind it was … well, it was the ugliest Federation ship he had seen to date.

Harry requested that Lars turn his projected ship into a miniature Intrepid. The warp nacelles were to be variable, like the Intrepid's. In sub-light configuration, they would be lower. When activated, they would rise up to a position more suited for the warp bubble.

The primary hull would be narrower and rounder. The secondary hull would be sleeker. It would also be able to go to Condition Blue and land on a planet in the same way that the Intrepid-class would be able to.

The Waverider shuttle became the primary shuttle. The landing bay was quite small. The number of crew required would be minimum. No ship of that complexity could run with one person – Harry would have to hire a crew he could trust.

The biggest problem with making it a smaller ship was that there would be fewer places to put weapons emplacements. Still, they could power a few phaser arrays.

As much as he had wanted Krim with him, Harry knew that someone he trusted would have to Captain the Griffon. And Krim would be far more suited than he was. Harry was good alone or with a small group, Krim had been a General and was used to commanding a large group of people.

Krim would also be present for the entire building of the SS Griffon, BS-101. BS would be short for Battlestar. The numbering system wouldn't start with zero. The SS Marauder, the modified Nova, would actually have an NCC number because technically it was a Naval Construction Contract.

He was considering seeing if the theoretical Marauder-class could mount onto the larger ship.

The original image of the Galactica wouldn't suit. There was a nose which could hold a primary deflector dish but modifying it so that there could be a secondary as well didn't work.

The later image was easier. The Primary could be the main one visible and a secondary would be on the underside.

Unlike Starfleet vessels, Command and Control (the Bridge), would not be at the top of the ship. That was pointless as the ship saw things via screens anyway. Harry supposed that made it closer to the sailing ships of yore but being within the middle of the ship made it harder for anyone attacking to reach the control center with weapons.

Lifepods would be a nightmare – there would have to be enough for a crew of over two thousand. One didn't need that many to run the ship, but additional doctors, runabout pilots, engineers, etc would take a significant number of people.

Harry and King George talked about building in several sickbays. It the Griffon was on a humanitarian mission, there might be hundreds wounded or ill and having enough space to treat such a number would be necessary. One also had to have room for thousands of passengers with enough facilities to feed them at least three meals a day.

This also meant enough people to do this as well.

Could they power enough replicators to do the job? Should they put in massive kitchens to be able to feed people that way?

Being able to gather a few thousand people and talking to them together could be useful. The World Cup stadium from his childhood was an inspiration but it was too big. Muggle auditoriums could do it – he had seen on in America that held over 6000 and wasn't too massive. But taking up that much space wasn't very efficient.

Having larger areas which could be separated made sense. A modular set up could allow even two or three disparate groups to be rescued and kept separate if needed.

Group sanitation separated by gender or whatever criteria a particular population used could be set up. One could set up circumstances where family groups could stay together.

Harry mused that it was, perhaps, useful that almost all sentient races had the same general body type in this galaxy. He snorted as he considered how difficult a multi-use ship would have been if the galaxy was more like Star Wars.

Still, environmental controls for different temperatures would be usefull.

Lars and the engineers were doing most of the work, Harry was living vicariously.

* * *

Harry was sitting at his computer finishing a message to Earth when Dobby popped in. "Master Harry!"

Noting the alarm he turned quickly. "Dobby?"

"Master Harry! Man on promenade has created machines to create luck. Winky and I can feel the magic coming from the area!"

Harry was horrified. Creating luck was something one was careful when dealing with. Concentrated luck tended to be reversed spectacularly if you weren't careful. There was a reason why Felix Felicitus wasn't more popular. It was the kind of thing one was very cautious about messing with.

"Show me," he said as he stood up.

Dobby grabbed Harry and popped him into a space he wasn't familiar with. There was a man there doing … something. "Who are you?" he asked pugnaciously.

"Sir Harry Potter," Harry answered. He cast a diagnostic spell. "Dobby. Go get Odo and Sisko. Fast!" Within a few minutes Sisko had arrived, as had Odo. "Have you had a spate of good or bad luck recently?" Harry asked urgently.

Sisko was shocked. "Yes. We were attempting to see if there was a reason."

Harry replied grimly. "There is. These machines. Step back." Harry wordlessly cast six bludgeoning charms and caused the machines to explode into parts. Dobby had cast a shield – luckily.

The man cried out as soon as he guessed what Harry was about to do. When Harry was done he said, "Why did you do that?"

Harry ignored him and explained to Sisko what Dobby had told him. "Whatever these things were they were messing with probability - luck. My people had a potion called Felix Felicitus – liquid luck. It is extremely difficult to brew, highly addictive and quite dangerous. If one used it sparingly – like once or twice in a lifetime – it could be used to overcome acute luck. But if someone tried to use it more, the bad luck to balance it out would become dangerous to oneself or one's friends. To so casually manipulate such forces is criminally dangerous."

Sisko looked at how serious Harry was and then looked at the man. "I want to hear all of the details."

The man, Harry was surprised to find he was El-Aurian, explained what had happened and how he had obtained the machines. Nothing was specifically illegal and charges couldn't be filed.

Odo was about to speak when his comm badge sounded. "Excuse me." Odo left and Harry shrugged.

"I don't care about legality but I do not need extreme good and bad luck creating horrors around here," Harry commented.

Sisko nodded, "I agree."

All turned when Odo reappeared with a smile. "Sir Harry, rejoice! For while the machines weren't illegal, other things this man have done were." He looked at the man. "You're under arrest." Harry grinned.


	20. Process Stories

A/N at end

* * *

Not having much to do at the moment with things being in flux, Harry and the elves assisted the ships moving refugees to Draylon II. Actually, they assisted on Draylon II.

After a couple of days Harry came to a realization: Skrreean males were rather useless.

Harry knew that societies had to evolve and that a good marker was a universal suffrage which usually followed universal education. The need for universal education was where the Skrreeans needed to move to.

Many females were in shock that Harry was considered a person of authority in his home society and it also disturbed them that Winky didn't boss Dobby around unilaterally – Dobby listened to his wife/mate but on some matters had to be convinced. The first time Winky submitted to something Dobby had asked for, all of those around them gasped.

The Skrreean leaders found that downright subversive.

Harry was shocked to watch females doing much of the physical labor and the males doing the "fine" work. He did have to admit that Skrreean males were kind of tiny by comparison. They were also, due to cultural imperative, educational level, biologically, or some combination thereof: silly.

Harry suspected it was due to being told that was so repeatedly.

Harry had managed to help dig out a large area for a waste processing plant. He then traveled back and forth twice between the Gamma Quadrant and Draylon II to help move some tools and equipment that the Skrreeans had brought with them out of their bondage but had not been able to take.

He returned to Deep Space 9 knowing he had done everything he could to help without becoming annoyed by the Skrreeans.

* * *

Sisko greeted him when he got back. "How was the relocation?"

Harry replied, "A lot of work. The elves and I did help on some steps, but that was only so that the Starfleet crew members didn't have to be distracted with some of the issues."

Sisko gave his diplomatic smile – sincere but aware not everything is obvious. "The Captains of the task force did seem appreciative that certain 'emergency assistance' requests seemed to be resolved before they had to become involved. They wished to express their thanks."

Harry smiled in return. "Some things did need additional trained personnel. I just did what I could to make certain things not needing trained personnel were kept to the Skrreeans themselves and the three of us whenever possible."

Sisko nodded. "Your assistance was noted and appreciated. Several crew members had put you in for an award – the refugees had started becoming difficult to handle."

Harry chuckled. "That's because there was the Starfleet crew members truly expected the male Skrreeans to be useful. After the first few hours, I treated them like pets and only went to female Skrreeans for decisions. Male Skrreeans either won't decide or ask for idiotic solutions. That society needs work before it will be compatible at all with the others it might run into."

Sisko was curious. "Why would that be such an issue?"

Harry looked at the man. "There is a bias in Federation societies toward seeing each individual as equally able. And when you run across societies that treat certain members as lesser, you have an almost visceral rejection of it. Like the Talarians. The Federation can't stand them – largely because they are violently patriarchic. But even in dealing with them, there's a certain distaste."

Sisko considered that. "I can see your viewpoint, even if I don't agree that we react as negatively as you view it."

Harry shrugged. "The crew members helping the Skrreeans kept going back to the males asking for directions and/or opinion. I refused to do that and just went to the females. They found me easier to work with if a trifle more disturbing."

Sisko asked, "More disturbing?"

Harry laughed. "Dobby and Winky both work for me. And while Dobby is pretty certain the sun and moon rise because Winky said they can, he does sometimes disagree with her. And if I sided with Dobby? Ooooh the Skrreeans thought that was horrid."

Sisko said, "So you didn't buy into trying to placate their sensibilities."

"Yes and no. Yes in that I only went to the women for decisions, no because I refused to act the same even if it was offensive to them. Starfleet tries to fake it, I think. It doesn't really work."

Sisko considered that. "You _may_ have a point. Our diplomatic training does suggest following local customs if at all possible, despite our beliefs."

Harry nodded. "I _respected_ local customs, I did not follow them. To follow them would be to deny myself, which I could not do."

Sisko cocked his head as he did when thinking deep thoughts. "That is a subtle distinction but an important one. The prevailing wisdom is that it will be less disruptive to accept the local customs as there might be laws that are involved."

Harry shook his head. "I don't understand that. I know it can be useful – I used Klingon law during the incident with those two Klingon females dogs that I turned over. But I don't think one has to accept all such interpretations."

Sisko replied, "The Prime Directive is the overriding principle there."

Harry shook his head. "Once again, the almighty Prime Directive rears is head."

Sisko had head the man talk of his objections and decided not to get into it. "It's the law for Starfleet."

Harry sighed. "True."

"Well, you were valuable. And perhaps you might be valuable again."

"Oh?" Harry asked curiously.

Sisko replied, "Yes. We have two Gamma Quadrant races that have been in a war for generations. They have finally come to a peace between them and they are coming to request assistance in resolving an issue left behind. The T'Lani and Kellerun Ambassadors will arrive in two days."

Harry sighed. "I suppose that I should get into my diplomatic mode. Do we know that they eat?"

Sisko replied, "I can ask."

"Please. Dobby and Winky would likely enjoy serving only a few people again."

* * *

Harry was in his formal robes during the meeting.

"Hello," Sisko started. "Ambassadors. I am Commander Benjamin Sisko, Starfleet Commander in this sector. I would like you to meet Doctor Julian Bashir, my Chief Medical Officer, who is here as per your request. Also with us is Sir Harry Potter of Earth, a diplomatic resident of the station who assists in different matters at my request."

The tall older man spoke first. "I am Sharat, of the Kellerun."

The younger and somewhat attractive woman spoke, "I am E'Tyshra of the T'Lani. The Kellerun and T'Lani have just come out of a centuries-long war."

Sisko nodded. "I read the briefing back that you sent. Congratulations. It takes vision to stop such a long hatred but your peoples have done well."

"Thank you," the woman said. "But now we must finish confronting what the conflict has left behind. Most of our weapons have been destroyed or returned to normal police use. But there is a weapon left behind that both of our peoples created."

Sisko asked, "And that is?"

Sharat answered, "We call them Harvesters. They are a biological weapon designed to cut down – 'Harvest' – the enemy in great numbers. The weapon is an abomination, but until the war ended neither side was willing to see them destroyed."

Sisko said, "And now they can be. But why do you need the Doctor?"

E'Tyshra said, "The making of Harvesters was a process perfected by our ancestors. And they were made to be impossible to destroy without triggering them. And while we have records on their making, we need someone who is more knowledgeable than we to determine the safest way to disable and destroy them. The compound is quite dangerous and, as it is effectively a weapon and plague, a medical approach is the best hope to destroy them."

Julian asked, "How are they deployed?"

Sharat answered, "Small devices which are designed to release their compounds when tampered with."

Julian said, "I'll need whatever information on the original formula to help determine how to destroy it. I'll also need Miles to assist me – if there's a device and we need to figure out how to defeat it, there's no one I'd trust more."

"We can provide that," the man said. "We will require you to look at it on our computers – we do not want to allow the information on how to create more to survive. We plan on destroying all records of the manufacture when they have been neutralized."

Harry, observing, said, "That's enlightened." He looked at Julian. "If you need me to obliviate you or Miles, let me know."

The two visitors were completely shocked. "You would destroy them to keep the secret?" Harry noted they were not offended – just surprised.

He clarified. "No! I didn't say 'obliterate' … I said 'obliviate'. My people are magic users. And while I'm the only one here, we do have the ability to cast a spell to destroy the memory of something. I was offering to erase the knowledge, not kill them."

The two Ambassadors looked at him with some surprise. "You can erase memories?"

Harry shrugged. "Actually, Federation science can do that too – they can erase memory engrams. But my spell is likely more efficient, though I have to be careful not to overpower it."

Julian asked, "Why is that?"

Harry grinned. "Too much power and I could erase years. I had a Professor who tried to cast the spell through a broken wand and it backfired. He was in his forties and afterwards didn't even know his name. Probably because it was related to what he was trying to erase. He had a bad habit of finding true heroes, getting the story and erasing their memories so that he could claim credit."

The woman asked, "Could he take those memories?"

Harry chuckled. "No. There is a spell to find memories – but that would be too difficult in the time needed. No, he tried to liquor them up to get them to talk, but the obliviate spell is too complete to be careful unless you have a cooperative person. In that case, you can erase specific knowledge."

The two Ambassadors weren't horrified at all. In fact, they looked downright excited. "Can you demonstrate this skill?"

Harry looked at Sisko, who had been watching carefully. He looked somewhat agreeable. "I would need someone who was willing to experience it."

Sharat was almost imperious. "I will call our ship and ask for a volunteer. I ask that you erase … a week of his knowledge."

Julian said, "I would like to monitor this to ensure it isn't damaging."

Harry shrugged. "Fine with me."

Sisko was curious. "Is this important for the request?"

E'Tyshra said, "Yes! We were contemplating exactly how to ensure the knowledge was lost once the harvesters were destroyed. We are willing to do _whatever_ is necessary."

Sisko nodded but Harry saw that he was as horrified as Harry: The T'Lani Ambassador had said too much right then.

* * *

The two Ambassadors and their enterage stood back as Julian examined the Kellerun and T'Lani guardsmen who had volunteered to lose memories. They were pronounced in good health and were prepared to accept the loss.

Harry cast a spell on one of each of them, precisely defining the time scope. It was seven days.

"Obliviate. You agreed to lose a week of memories and cooperate with the Ambassadors. You know that the two men closest are some type of medical experts." He did not want to give them an "overwrite" type command but wanted to show how the spell could affect each race.

Each guardsman was questioned and then examined again by Dr. Bashir. Julian shook his head. "According to every test I can come up with, the memories for the last week are just gone. There is no trauma, which is unusual. The loss of memories is traumatic by definition. But there isn't even a trace."

Harry spoke. "That is likely because I was trained thoroughly and the wand I use is particularly powerful. I can control the spell to a degree unusual for Ministry Obliviators and other common users of the spell."

Sisko asked, "What was this spell used for in your home society?"

Harry replied, "Statute of Secrecy. We had strict laws that magic was to be unknown by the non-magical world. Our people could erase years of life if necessary and create a whole new life in that person's memory. I understand it's a violation – but the intention of the spell is not malicious or inherently damaging outside of the loss of experience itself."

Bashir finished his exams. "As much as I hate to do this, I would approve of this as a treatment. If someone experienced a sufficiently traumatic experience leaving them vegetative, Sir Harry could actually help them recover better than even our medical technology could. We can manipulate engrams, but it is far more tricky and dangerous."

Harry nodded at Julian with sympathy. "Magic has a component which is entirely intent. That's one thing that makes it less than perfectly understandable to science. Don't overwork your brain to figure it out."

The two Ambassadors had stepped back to have a hushed conversation while the Humans had been speaking with each other. They finished and spoke to Sisko. "We formally request the assistance of Dr. Bashir and his friend Miles. We also request Sir Harry Potter of Earth obliviate their knowledge of Harvesters when they have been defeated. We do not want any knowledge of how to create them to survive."

Harry had a thought. "Before I approve, can I check on something? It will take … an hour."

Sisko said, "We do have a meal prepared for you, prepared my Sir Harry's retainers. Perhaps you can partake while Sir Harry does his investigation."

"That would be fine," the male Ambassador said and the female agreed.

* * *

Harry returned to his quarters and, after having sent the elves to assist Sisko, retrieved particular equipment.

He carefully read one book from his library computer and put together, although it was a bit extreme, exactly what the book laid out.

This was something he wished he had once run across and, after realizing he'd never get the entire Wizarding world to sign, after pushed out of his mind.

It allowed a contract to erase one specific class of knowledge. Now he needed to find out how to get a possibly non-magical Alien to sign in such a way that it worked.

Umbridge had, he had found later, invented the Blood Quill. It was dark and she had intended to create pain with it while placing someone under a geas. The binding magic hadn't worked for her but the dark aspect did.

Later, he had mentioned it to his account manager at Gringotts. They had gotten a hold of one she had made and, thereafter, came up with a variant to tie people into a contract by blood. Harry hadn't gotten anything for telling the Goblins because he had still been making up for breaking in.

Gringotts had given him one of their creation. It was less painful, it wasn't dark, but it did create a binding when used. The Goblins had finished creating what Dolores Umbridge had tried to, but now it was owned by non-Humans.

Harry had been tempted to visit the woman in Azkaban to tell her but decided she was no longer worth the hassle.

Still, her invention was now useful, as much as he had hated the idea of it.

Using a parchment that was only 18 inches long, he created a contract to willingly lose the knowledge of … he had a hard time thinking of what. He needed something pervasive but not vital. He contacted Sisko to ask the visitors for something they were willing to lose knowledge of (outside of the Haresters) and they had picked "shining shoes" (their equivalent).

A grooming item was actually useful and shining shoes was not something they did themselves anymore – they had people to do that.

* * *

Harry brought back the contract and the quill and spent time during the final half of the meal break socializing.

When the meeting returned, Harry presented the contract. "Use this quill to sign your names."

The two Ambassadors read the contract. Sharat was disbelieving. "You think this will work?"

Harry shrugged. "I know it works on Humans. We need to find out if it works on your people."

The two Ambassadors were willing to try. Harry inserted the time the contract would come due (ten minutes) and both Ambassadors signed the contract with Sisko signing.

"Okay. For the next few minutes, we're going to show you how Humans shine shoes," Harry said with amusement. He conjured the tools and explained and demonstrated.

At the appropriate time Harry spoke, "Okay. We're going to wait a moment."

The contract flashed after thirty seconds. Harry asked, "Ambassadors? Do either of you know how to shine shoes?"

They looked at each other. "No," E'Tyshra said. "I don't." Sharat agreed.

"Commander Sisko? Can you show them how to shine shoes?"

Sisko was curious but did as requested. He looked up. "Do you understand?"

Both Ambassadors were confused. "It looked so easy but … I honestly don't think I could do it."

Harry said, "Try."

Sharat took the shoe, the polish, and the brush. But when he was confronted by the action, he was completely unable.

Harry finally said, "This is dangerous magic. It's pervasive and permanent. You two will _never_ be able to shine shoes. If you ever need that ability to live, you will die. Because it is now impossible for you to learn." He conjured a leather glove. "Shine that." E'Tyshra grabbed it and applied polish to the glove and buffed it with the clothe. "Now try that on the shoe." E'Tyshra grabbed the shoe … and then sat there.

"I can't," she finally said.

"As I said: Dangerous."

Sharat said, "This makes no sense! I am aware of all of the basic information. And yet I cannot put it together!"

Harry sighed. He took his wand out and cast obliviate on both. Both received the same suggestion: "You are aware that the contract magic works but have no interest in knowing what knowledge was lost."

Sisko asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Because simple information lost is actually more maddening. They know they should know – and even knowing why they don't know, the simplicity of it boggles them. They'd eventually get over it, but we don't have time for that process."

Sisko considered that. "Very well. Tell me next time?"

"Sure." He looked at the awed Ambassadors. "I showed this for a particular reason, several actually."

"And they are?" the female asked.

"First, to show it can be done. You'll have peace of mind that no one involved can ever decide to or be forced to create the weapons you're destroying. Second, I am reassuring Julian and his commanding officer that going through with this won't have unintended consequences."

Sharat asked, "What could be the unintended consequence?"

Harry shrugged. "If they run into a similar device, they might not be able to figure out how to create it but they'll still be able to figure out how to destroy it. The knowledge of the component factors isn't blocked – just the knowledge of putting it together. And even if confronted by the process again, they are still prevented from the process. Which I hope reassures you."

E'Tyshra asked, "Are there any other reasons?"

Harry said without much emotion, "You seemed just a little too accepting of the idea of obliterating them after they were done helping you. I'd rather prevent that."

Sisko noted that neither Ambassador protested. The female said, "I don't know about that, but we will be satisfied to know that the knowledge cannot be recovered by the process of destroying them."

Harry said, "I will give you a contract to stop the knowledge from being recorded, transmitted, or remembered. How many signatures will be needed?"

The two Ambassadors conferred. Finally the older male said, "Fifty will be more than enough. We have been trying to destroy them but the team has been kept to a minimum just to prevent knowledge from spreading. There are twenty or so that have some knowledge."

Harry retrieved another parchment, somewhat longer, and they worked out the wording. It was a contract between all signatories for all information on how to create the Harvesters of the T'Lana system to be lost to the signatories for all time. It was set to be fulfilled ten days after Julian and Miles arrived.

Harry said, "You better make certain that you finish it then, because the people who sign will be useless after that if you need to figure out how they were made."

The Ambassadors said grimly, "That is fine. As long as the information is lost and all stocks are destroyed, it will be sufficient."

* * *

Sisko sent off the visitors and Julian left. He, Harry, and Miles would leave in six hours on a runabout. Julian and Miles had to get ready.

Sisko said to Harry, "Good catch."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief now that the Ambassadors were not present. "Completely by accident, I assure you. I was making a joke. It was only sheer luck they confused obliviate for obliterate. I wasn't aware they were that desperate to leave their past behind."

Sisko nodded. "You'll keep an eye on them?"

"With my life," Harry said.

Sisko looked relieved. "I will have to report to Starfleet that we will have to be cautious with these people. They were hoping for a viable outpost."

"Yeah … No. Those people are still a bit too violent for the Federation."

Sisko could only agree.

* * *

Harry spent the week they were at the station above T'Lana III making certain everyone with information on Harvesters signed the contract and then being feted by the two groups.

It took seven days but a workable procedure was devised by Julian and Miles and the process of destroying the stockpile began. They were still running the devices through the process when the contract came due.

Harry and the Ambassadors had been there. At the appointed time, everyone looked around confused. Julian was confused. "What are we doing?" he asked Miles.

Miles said, "We're destroying weapons. How …" He looked over and saw Harry. "Sir Harry! How are we destroying the weapons?"

Harry sighed. "The procedure is worked out. The contract to forget the manufacturing process kicked in. I guess Julian had to figure out more of the process of how they were made than he realized."

Julian checked the computer and said, "Yes, I can run this. But I have no idea why this works."

Harry said, "You're not supposed to, remember? You agreed before we started."

Julian said, "It's still a bit maddening to know you've been forced to forget something."

Harry said, "Just like I offered to start this whole thing, just tell me if I have to obliviate you."

There was a relieved celebration when the last device and pathogen was finally destroyed. Julian and Miles enjoyed themselves. Harry was just happy to get away from the system in one piece.

* * *

Harry and the elves returned to the station. Lars sent word that the new computer he was now running based on having bio-neural circuitry were proving to be much better at calculating rune chains because they were better at applying fuzzy math.

The Knight was given six different rune chains to test using the runabouts and/or the station. One was not successful but five were. Lars had to recalculate a rune chain to keep an air bubble on a landing platform without a shield to do that.

There was a forcefield one could use – it was used on every Starfleet vessel there was – but Lars wanted to be able to land and send off ships from the Griffon without worrying if the selective force field was running or had been damaged.

The rune-chain Lars had devised didn't allow one to actually fly through the membrane. Harry was perfectly willing to have it as an emergency backup in case of depressurization.

The Marauder (and that name would likely change) was soon to be started physically. It had been planned out based on modifying the Nova plans but had finally been fully planned out. The biggest issue was that the engines were rated only for Warp 8.4, far below the highest speed of the Intrepid-class, but for a small ship it was fast.

The workers at Utopia Planetia had questioned the seven compartments set to be a cubic foot with one apparent plasma line to them but not physically connected.

Harry knew that the wards bled off energy and he intended to ensure there was a nearby source.

It was also strange that several items were installed by temporary but non-workable elements. The construction workers were told that these pieces would be replaced later.

The neutronium elements were scheduled to be delivered right before completion. Four of them had to be installed early and when workers complained these items were not scannable, their bosses told them to ignore it.

* * *

A/N: About the porn in last chapter: Remember that Harry used to be a teenage boy too. Every teenage boy, even the 'good' ones, reads at least one Playboy (or equivalent) and not for the pictures. You eventually get over it. He just recognized that there was no 24th century equivalent custom and so giving it to Jake was not morally acceptable.

As far as the machines being "magical", that's how they were perceived. If you saw the original episode, those machines were never explained there either, just that they messed with the laws of probability. I think that the only explanation could have been "magical". But that is interesting that replicators can apparently "replicate" devices that have such an unknown component ….

As far as the protest that he destroyed them without hesitation – Harry just considered that there were things one didn't mess with. Dax and Sisko did the same thing in the original episode, despite the fact they theoretically could be used.

One reviewer had wanted to see Harry interact more with the Skrreeans. Harry present doesn't mean he gets involved with everything. When I originally watched the episode, I saw the Skrreeans as persecuted victims. When I watched it with a mind toward writing in Harry's involvement, I noticed a lot more nuance within the story.

The Skrreeans did see Bajor as their "promised land" but that didn't mean that the Bajorans should have accepted the sudden influx of three million people. The Bajoran intransigence in refusing even the idea did lack a certain empathy but I saw that both the Skrreeans and the Bajorans truly were acting in good faith as far as what they believed to be the truth.

I could have knocked the Bajorans or the Skrreeans but in the story I just recognized that not everyone will be happy with _any_ decision made. Which was the same concept I think the original writer's were using when they wrote the episode.

Watching Deep Space 9 with an eye toward writing in Harry's involvement has shown a far more complicated and nuanced picture than I realized when previously watching or rewatching the show.

Harry will often consider things from his viewpoint and can change his mind due to realizing it was more complicated than he had assumed.


	21. Friends Old and New

Harry Potter was studying runes in preparation for something that had been nagging at him.

One tool that he had barely used, or had ignored, to his detriment while at Hogwarts was the Marauder's Map. There had been a number of times that the map would have alerted him had be paid attention or interpreted it properly.

Peter Pettigrew would have never escaped in Third Year. Barty Crouch Junior would have never been able to put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Draco Malfoy could have been caught Sixth year before allowing Hogwarts to be invaded.

He knew it wasn't entirely his fault: The adults were prone to ignoring the signs and wouldn't have paid attention without something extreme. Nevertheless, the map was a tool he wanted on Griffon.

The tricky part was that he would have to get the proper rune sequences installed not only to locate all individuals but to identify them by race as well. If one wasn't aware of the limitations, someone could have thought Harry a bigot. But the trouble was that some races were ignored by wards unless on specified them.

The Marauder's Map had, after all, ignored House Elves.

Through the incomplete notes left behind by the Marauders, his studying during a one time attempt to recreate the map, and his limited understanding, the trouble was that the wards ignored House Elves. And while this was a glaring blind spot back at Hogwarts, his concern now was that the necessary rune sequences hadn't been delineated anywhere in the library.

Harry was now doing something that Runemasters were loath to do: Attempting to create runes to cover inadequacies in runic languages.

After several searches through the library and several tests with the elves' assistance, Harry was stumped.

* * *

Finally he decided he was thirsty and he needed to get out of his rooms. He sent the elves off to enjoy themselves (probably cleaning the areas Miles was getting into service) and himself went off to Quarks with a replicated book on comparison between Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Elder Futhark symbolic languages.

He barely paid attention as he was served cold butterbeer by Quark's brother, Rom.

Harry had been shocked to find that Egyptian hieroglyphs were the direct ancestor of pretty much all written languages. Hebraic, Greek, Futhark: All could find a path descended from Egyptian glyphs indicating particular sounds.

What he was trying to understand was why runes could create magical effects when regular letters couldn't. Then again, older languages had concepts associated with them in a way that Roman letters never did.

Perhaps it was just what made belief such a large part of magic: The runic languages had been understood to have a certain meaning for such a long time that the miniscule amount of psionic energy each person put out reinforced the relationship.

It was possible that the rampant illiteracy of the vast majority of people after the adoption of the Roman alphabet had contributed to its lack of magical effect. Bastardized Latin, such as the common folk associated with power because the priests and monks spoke it, _did_ have magical effect.

Harry stopped reading for a moment. His brain was beginning to hurt. He looked up and glanced around. "Major Kira," he said in surprise, "when did you sit down?"

The Bajoran woman smiled and said, "About two minutes ago." She glanced at the book he was holding and then up. "What has you so focused?"

Harry sighed and handed her the book. She opened it and peered at the language. "I don't recognize these symbols. Although they look a but like Ancient Bajoran."

Harry smiled lightly, "They are Ancient Human languages. The area you're looking at is a table with direct correlations. The explanations in English are earlier in the texts."

Major Kira flipped back and saw what Harry was speaking of. After a moment's looking, she pushed the book back. "So in addition to being a former Law enforcement officer, a man of leisure, a business man, a diplomat, and a conservationist, you're also a linguist."

Harry immediately began to start to protest and then he paused. Finally he said, "I am what I have to be, but the linguist part I'm having issues with." He peered at Kira. "Maybe you could help me."

"Oh?" she asked curiously even as her drink was delivered and she murmured thanks.

"Do you know Ancient Bajoran?" he asked the woman.

She considered that. "I know a little. Most Bajorans do because there are some prophecies that can only be studied in that language."

"Okay. So can you answer me this: How would you, in Ancient Bajoran, indicate a Human vs a Bajoran vs a Cardassian?"

Major Kira blinked for a moment. "Well, you don't."

Harry was confused. "Huh?"

"That's one of the reasons why prophecies have to be studied," Major Kira explained. "The language they used was descriptive. The language doesn't distinguish between different races because we had no contact with difference races."

"How about now?" Harry asked.

Major Kira shrugged. "Modern Bajoran is phonetic. The use of pictographs fell out of use and we're left with a phonetic language."

Harry nodded. "Human linguists call them logograms and determinative glyphs to indicate when a symbol is an idea and not a sound. It's complicated but at least I understood that much. I'm attempting to write something using the languages there but it doesn't lend itself well to interstellar identities and concepts."

Major Kira asked, "Why would you do that?"

Harry shrugged as he didn't want to explain. "An exercise, if you will." At her disbelief Harry added, "Something having to do with a project I'm contemplating."

Kira accepted that. She looked thoughtful for a long moment and then glanced up at the Ferengi running the bar. "Well, if I were making the attempt to minimize the number of glyphs, I would use the glyphs for 'foreign business people' for Ferengi and 'foreign annoying people' for Humans." Kira Nerys smirked at the last.

Harry rolled his eyes even as he laughed. "We can be intrusive, can't we?"

Major Kira considered that. "I'd have to say adaptive. Humans seem to become whatever the world asks them to be or what they decide to be. I can see Humans adopting Cardassian ways even as I've already seen Humans adopting Bajoran ways; there are Humans who are far more faithful to the Prophets than most Bajorans. If Humans can be said to be anything, it's adaptive."

Harry considered that. "I would have to say that's true. We tend to be socially chameleon-like."

"Chameleon?" Major Kira asked.

"An Earth lizard that can adjust it's coloring to match what's around it so as to hide itself. In English, a chameleon is somewhat who can adapt to different environments so well that one cannot distinguish between them and what surrounds them."

Major Kira said, "We don't have anything on Bajor like that. I suppose that's why Universal Translator didn't have a word for it."

Harry shrugged. Major Kira looked at her timepiece. "I'm due back in Ops. It's been interesting, Sir Harry."

"That it has, Major Kira," Harry replied easily.

* * *

After watching her leave, Harry considered the approach that Kira had suggested. The trick was to figure out how the different races would define themselves. Business Peoples would definitely be a part of the Ferengi world view.

It wasn't as easy to translate his ideas to languages he knew to be magical, but he made the attempt. Harry also tried sequences using Ancient Bajoran based on the sheer length of time that the language had been in use.

If he was right in his musings, Ancient Bajoran might be even more effective for runic strings than Elder Furthark or Egyptian glyphs. Cuneiform also did have some uses, but tended to be better for magic having to do with record-keeping and organization for some reason.

Celtic runes, a system highly dependant on subjective meaning, could be used for a number of things as well. Elder Futhark was a close relation and Celtic runes were, in fact, what most unknowledgeable people visualized when the word "runes" was mentioned. That was, in part, thanks to a man named Tolkien and a series of books called the Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien was a linguistic expert that had used old English and other real world languages to base his stories on. What he called "Elvish" was based on one language and the language of "Rohan" was based almost entirely on one of the Britonic languages. Tolkien had also put in a "runic translating table" into his works even though the actual stories only mentioned runes.

There were a number of charts and tables to translate Celtic runes depending on whether they were phonetic or being used as logograms.

All in all, this was what made devising rune schemes so hard.

Finally, he packaged up what he had worked on, put it into a secured file which could only be opened by Lars in the Sol system, and sent it off. Hopefully Lars' new "fuzzy logic able" computer could come up with something useable.

Harry did begin working on a Marauder's Map for Deep Space Nine to be correctly activated once a ward scheme was devised.

* * *

At a certain point, Harry had a question about the station. He hit his comm badge. "Potter to O'Brien." There was no answer. Harry tried again. "Potter to O'Brien." After another no answer Harry said, "Computer. Locate Miles O'Brien."

The computer, a Cardassian female voice, answered, "Miles O'Brien is not currently on the station."

Harry was surprised. "Potter to Major Kira."

The voice came back. "Go ahead."

"Chief O'Brien?"

"Chief O'Brien is away from the station assisting with logistics with a peace conference the Federation is arbitrating."

"Ah. I wasn't aware. When will he return?"

"He is scheduled to be back in two days."

"Thanks."

"Ops, Out."

Harry sighed. He needed Miles' expertise. If Miles was gone, one of the runabouts was likely out as well – meaning the others were less likely to be available. Harry decided he would amuse himself with a holo-program he had programmed with Miles' help: Quidditch. It had been a while since he had flown and the Holosuite did a passable job of recreating the experience.

He had to have Miles' assistance due to the safeties preventing his original programming, but the two men had gotten it to work. And then Harry had put it out of his mind.

A nice game of quidditch sounded absolutely wonderful right then. Harry smirked. Julian had never experienced Quidditch. Spectator was a valid role and maybe he could convince Julian to play with him sometime as, unlike real Quidditch, holo-Quidditch required no real magic.

* * *

An hour on the holo-pitch convinced Harry of one thing: He was not in Quidditch shape. He needed to fly more regularly. The constant moving required very good upper body strength and, despite Hermione's skepticism and disdain, was a good workout.

At least the way he played the game.

Harry knew that he would need to be in shape and so he scheduled pitch time of an hour a day, three days a week. Additional time could be booked at need.

Harry quickly cleaned himself up and went to the medical bay.

"Sir Harry," Julian said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"

Harry sighed. "I found out that I've been too sedentary – my holo-program has beat me up a bit. And while I prefer first aid only as I think it's better to suffer the pains of sloth, I do know I need to get checked out to make sure the bludgers didn't cause too much damage."

"Bludgers?" Julian asked.

Harry sighed. "80 lb – that's 36 kilos or so – iron balls which the opposing beaters hit at you to provide obstacles. I got tagged with one, though it was minimal. My armor absorbed most of it."

Julian was alarmed. "Metal balls? And how do you outrun these metal balls?" Julian asked even as he scanned Harry.

"Outrun?" Harry asked with amusement. "No – you don't _outrun_ them, you _outfly_ them."

Julian checked his readings. "You have mildly cracked ribs. Why didn't the safeties prevent this?"

Harry scoffed. "I may have allowed Miles to program in enough protection to not die, but it's not quidditch if it's _too_ safe."

Julian said with a mildly disapproving tone. "Lie down." Harry nodded and did so. "So when you say fly …" Julian paused in his motions even as he began to move his tool into position "… do you fly on _broomsticks_?" he asked incredulously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I told you before that we flew broomsticks."

Julian said, "Well, I thought that was … an exaggeration." He then said, "Hold still."

Harry held still as the osteogenerator was waved over his cracked ribs. He had to admit it was less unpleasant than Skel-Gro. "Okay. You'll have to careful with those ribs until tomorrow but they're patched up. Now, the bruises."

Harry waved Julian off. "The bruises are a fair price to pay. They can heal on their own." Julian actually hmphed at that. "Are you trained to make that sound of derision during medical training?" Harry asked with a surprised tone. Madam Pomfrey had made similar tones during his Hogwarts' years.

Julian actually smiled at that. "Our teachers teach that directly – it's not written down." Harry grinned. Julian became more serious. "I won't force you – but I'd like to check you tomorrow."

"That's fine. I have another hour visit on the holo-deck. I'll come here first."

Julian was a-gog. "You're going to do this again? So soon?"

Harry shrugged. "It's quidditch."

His tone was so matter of fact that Julian was rolled his eyes. "I will come and watch you tomorrow so I can see this quidditch you speak of."

Harry grinned. "I was going to invite you. I thought it would be a great way to stay in shape if you wanted to join me regularly. I even have settings for regular people instead of wizards."

Julian was curious. "Why does that make a difference?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I told you over a year ago when you first examined me: Wizards are more durable in general." He smiled. "I never told you about my first flying lesson."

Julian put away his equipment and indicated to his nurse that he was going out. "What happened?"

Harry was enthusiastic as he said, "Well, Neville had never been on a broom before and …." The two men walked down the hall.

* * *

It was the next morning, early, and Harry showed up to sickbay to get checked before they visited the holo-suite. Julian sighed. "Okay. Let's see how bad it is today." The doctor scanned Harry and then checked his instrument in confusion. "This shows that you're in perfect health."

Harry nodded. "I know. I told you Wizards are more durable. We also heal faster. Winky and Dobby made sure I got enough of the right types of food for me to heal overnight. I had to eat a spinach salad, Brussels sprouts, and fish for dinner. Dessert was a citrus and berry salad – also good for bruises. I didn't even break out the bruising paste."

Julian considered it. "Those would be effective – foods rich in Vitamin K and zinc and low in saturated fats."

Harry shrugged. "I just ate what the elves told me would be good. Winky especially is good for helping to raise children. I suppose that includes what to feed them when bruised. The normal wizard diet isn't the best when it comes to health, even though wizards use more calories and can handle more fats and carbohydrates than non-magical people."

Julian put away his diagnostic tools. "Let's go see this kidditch."

"Quidditch," Harry corrected.

"Yes. Quidditch," Julian replied with a slightly condescending tone.

"Sure. We're going to stop back at my quarters. I ate less than I should if I'm playing and I need to change."

Harry and Julian got back and Harry left Julian to the elves while he changed. When Harry came back he was wearing robes with lightweight armor underneath. Julian, who had been enjoying the tea provided, checked it out. "This is remarkably durable, or so it looks."

Harry grinned. "I did mention 36 kilogram metal balls, right?"

Julian said, "That still makes me nervous."

The two men walked down the promenade toward Quarks. It was very early – Harry had booked the pitch during a slow time because 1) Quidditch was not for late nights, and 2) Quark had given him a good price if he booked those times with multiple appointments.

Harry was surprised to find Dax and Sisko waiting as well, with Jake and Nog also present. "What's this?" Harry asked.

Sisko smiled. "It's a quiet day. School is not scheduled, there aren't any ships scheduled to come in until after midday, Major Kira is attending services, Chief O'Brien won't be back until tonight, and we're at loose ends. I told Jake I was coming to watch a Wizarding sport and he asked to come and watch. You told Julian that there were seats for spectators. I hope that you're not opposed?"

Harry chuckled. "What you mean to say is: It's Sunday and there's nothing else happening. And no, it's great. I was going to talk to people about playing with me."

Sisko nodded. "While I might not be interested, I would like to know the rules."

Dax said, "I'd like to know the rules too." The boys echoed that as did Julian.

Harry laughed. "I could give you the book, but I have something better. Come on."

They got to the holo-suite, one of the larger ones, and Harry entered in his program. And then he activated some options. "Computer: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff with spectator seats for ten visitors. I am playing Gryffindor Seeker. Activate Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger guide characters."

After a long moment, the computer beeped to show it was ready. He looked at the others. "You're going to sit with Ron and Hermione, pretty faithful recreations of my oldest friends from childhood, grown to adulthood. Hermione has read all the rules and can explain the non-player viewpoint but only watched because I was her friend. Ron Weasley is a quidditch fanatic and knows everything about the game. He's also opinionated." Harry grinned. "Have fun with them."

The group entered and suddenly the others watched as Harry was glomped by a fairly attractive slender woman in her early twenties. "Harry! What took so long? The game is going to start in three minutes!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "It's fine. He's here. I told you not to worry." Ron looked at Harry. "Hey, mate. Who are these?"

Harry said, "Friends. I'll let them introduce themselves."

Ron nodded and then asked with suspicion, "None of you are Slytherins, right?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ronald! That doesn't matter. Harry said they were friends." She looked at the others while Harry walked off. "Let's go sit take our seats. The game is about to start!"

That distracted Ron and the entire group quickly moved up the small stairs to the stands. Ron greeted the huge man sitting there. "Hey, Hagrid," he said cheerfully.

"'ello, Ron, 'ermione. I saved yer seats. Who er these?"

Hermione said, "Some of Harry's friends. They are …" she looked at the others.

"Benjamin Sisko," the Commander said. Everyone introduced each other as well.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, and I teach Care o' Magical Creatures 'asides being the Keeper of the Keys. You ken just call me Hagrid."

"Nice to meet you, Hagrid." Everyone echoed that.

Nog asked, "Can I ask a question?"

Hagrid said cheerfully, "Go ahead."

"What race are you?" he asked nervously.

Ron looked disapproving, Hermione looked a little caught out, but Hagrid chuckled. "Don' go being offended fer me," he said to Hermione and Ron. He then looked at Nog. "It's common knowledge I'm half-Giant."

Jake asked, "Your father was a giant?"

Hagrid laughed. "No. Me mum. Me Dad was a regular man." The people listening were shocked. Just then the players flew out and announcements were made and their attention was diverted.

The visitors were inquisitive and all three characters (Ron, Hermione, Hagrid) answered different questions. Each also had different reactions: Hagrid was pretty accepting of everything and reacted to various things as though a fully interested spectator, Hermione ignored pretty much anything except what Harry was doing, and Ron was quick to point out fouls against the Gryffindors and complain about cheating Slytherins (not even playing) while rooting for Harry's team. Hermione would yell at Ron and Hagrid would laugh at both or admonish them to pay attention when they started bickering.

Hermione jumped up and put her hands to her face. "He's going to crash!"

Ron immediately said, "He's fine!"

Everyone watched as Harry flew almost into the ground and suddenly pulled up. Ron cheered. "That's what you get, Smith!" Harry had programmed the Hufflepuff Seeker to be Zacharias Smith so that he wouldn't feel guilty about turfing him.

Sisko asked, "What was that?"

Ron said with enthusiasm, "Wronski Feint. Harry's almost as good at 'em as Krum. Maybe a bit better, even."

"Krum?" Dax asked.

"Victor Krum," Hermione explained. "He played at the World Cup and was a student at Durmstrang during the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

Ron groaned. "We don't need to hear all about Vickie."

Hermione snickered. "Ron's been a bit upset since Victor asked me to the Yule Ball. Of course, when he needed a date he came to me with: 'Hey, Hermione! You're a girl!' as though it was a revelation."

Ron groaned. "I thought I apologized for that."

Hermione looked at Ron and said, "I was just telling them who Victor was."

Ron said stubbornly, "He was the enemy. He was a famous Quidditch player – he could have gone with any girl. No one would have said no."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, he asked me. Mostly because, unlike the rest of the three schools, I didn't fawn over him."

Hagrid interrupted. "Ron! Hermione! I think he's seen the snitch!"

Everyone refocused and they saw what Hagid had seen: Harry Potter was intently flying madly around the pitch, casually avoiding other players and bludgers, while the other seeker tried to catch up.

"That's blagging, that is!" The game didn't end because the other seeker grabbed onto Harry's broom and, while a foul was called, the snitch also had disappeared. Ron's complaint was loud.

Jake asked, "What's blagging?"

Hagrid looked at the teenager kindly. "That's when a player grabs another player's broom to slow 'em down. It ken be dangerous too – someone could fall."

Ron scoffed. "Any trained quidditch player would never fall off because of a bit o' blagging."

Hermione started on a rant about how dangerous Quidditch was and the other characters ignored her until the snitch appeared again and the two seekers vied for it.

Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid were cheering for Harry, and it was contagious: The other visitors started cheering as well.

And, unlike last time, Harry was successful at catching the snitch.

The visitors waited until he appeared from the locker room. Ron said, "Time to go back to the common room and celebrate!"

Harry laughed. "I'll meet you there, after I get these off."

Hermione hugged Harry and said, "Congratulations!" She turned and said to the visitors, "It was nice to meet some of Harry's friends."

Dax said, "It was nice to meet you too!"

The two walked off and Harry grinned as he said, "Computer: End Program."

* * *

Julian said, "How accurate was that?"

Harry considered. "The brooms are a bit sluggish – but I based them on Nimbus 2001s and my Firebolt's a bit faster and quicker on the turn. So it could just be me."

Jake was the most vocal. "You have a broom that's faster than those?"

Harry nodded. "Firebolt's top speed is 150 miles an hour – that's 240 kilometers an hour. My old Numbus 2000 could only go 160 km per but I liked it better than the 2001 which can go 180 or so. I do have a Firebolt Supreme – but I've never actually rode that one because my Firebolt was a gift from my Godfather and I like that just fine."

Sisko was curious. "Do you have a program showing the Firebolt in action?"

Harry smiled, "I do. But we'll have to save that. I need to clean up."

Sisko nodded. "It would be interesting to try it."

Harry grinned. "I should make a flying lesson program. There's nothing like it."

Jake was curious about something. "Those characters: How real were they?"

Harry had a wistful smile. "I made them as close to what I remembered as I could." His smile got wider. "I take it you also met Hagrid?"

Julian said, "Oh, Yes. Although his size was a bit unbelievable."

Harry laughed. "No. He was the man who introduced me to the Wizarding world and gave me the first present I remember getting. I was very careful about being as faithful as possible."

Harry promised to introduce them to finish a broom training program and to let them try quidditch.

* * *

Later that day, Harry caught up to Miles right after he finished debriefing Sisko. "Chief!"

"Sir Harry," Miles said.

"Welcome back. How were the meetings?"

Miles said, "It was fine. The protocols were pretty simple to lay in and I helped set up the scanners to prevent interference. Now I just want to go back to my quarters and see my wife and daughter."

Harry smiled. "That's great." He looked at Miles. "Do you want something to give Molly as a treat? I can have Dobby bring something. Kids love presents from returning parents."

Miles laughed. "That's fine. Though I suppose I should have brought something back."

Harry said, "Let me ask Dobby what's to hand." He called out, "Dobby!"

The elf appeared. "Master Harry called?"

Harry smiled. "The Chief here just got back from his trip and didn't bring a toy back for Molly. What can we give him?"

Dobby turned toward the Chief and was about to speak when suddenly he snapped his fingers and Harry was treated to a repeat of Lucius Malfoy at the end of second year.

"Uh. Dobby? Is there a reason you just knocked out Chief O'Brien?"

Dobby turned. "I know, Chief O'Brien. And this is not him. It is a pale copy."

Harry's eyes widened. He tapped his badge. "Security alert! Urgent need for guards and Station commander!"

Harry quickly cast a spell. "_Brachiabindo_." He used a binding spell which was better than incarcerous which could be defeated it the individual could change shape.

People started showing up. When Odo appeared Harry said, "Dobby says that's not Miles – and I know how good House Elves are at identifying people they know."

* * *

The process took a few hours. At first there was skepticism but finally Julian found the truth. "This is a replicant – a fast-grown clone that's a bit stronger than the real Miles. We've kept him sedated but we should probably wake him up to question him."

When the close was allowed to wake up, it reacted as though it was Miles O'Brien. None of the reactions were false. Finally Harry offered to perform a legilemency probe. Sisko called for a nurse that was Vulcan as mind-melds were better known.

"Miles" agreed to it so that the truth could be verified and was horrified to find the proof that he _was_ a clone. The Vulcan nurse had also found the sleeper-program which would have turned him into an assassin.

The clone was heartbroken.

"What now?" he asked.

Julian said, "Regardless of his origins, he's a sentient being and as far as science goes, an individual. He was created for a purpose but that doesn't negate the fact he is alive."

"Miles" said, "I can't stay here. I mean: I love Keiko O'Brien. You say I'm not the original and I know that's the truth now. But I could never live here knowing that someone else is married to what I _know_ is my wife." He looked at Harry. "You can erase memories! That contract!"

Harry sighed. "I'll be honest: What I did for those Aliens I would never do if I had any choice. It's a violation like no other. But Commander Sisko and I saw that those Ambassadors were planning on achieving the same result a different way."

Julian asked, "What way is that?"

Sisko replied, "We believe – and they did not deny – they would have killed everyone who was one the destruction project, just to make certain no information could _ever_ be retrieved on how to make them."

"Miles" and Julian were shocked. "Miles" said, "Well, I definitely think the Contract was better." He looked at Harry. "One more time?"

Harry looked at Sisko, who gave the most minute of headshakes. "No." He looked at Miles. "But I can obliviate your knowledge of Keiko, though I think it's a mistake."

Julian asked, "Why would it be a mistake?"

Sisko interrupted. "This discussion needs to happen but right now I need to know: Where is my Chief of Operations?"


	22. Fergus O'Brien

A/N: The clone was part of the original series – it was only found at the end of the relevant episode as a "gotcha". Dobby, being more sensitive, never let it get that far.

_Sisko interrupted. "This discussion needs to happen but right now I need to know: Where is my Chief of Operations?"_

* * *

Harry was mortified: Sisko was absolutely correct. He had reacted like a wizard: Only look at what's in front of you. "I don't know. All I know is that Dobby told me this Miles was wrong."

Sisko looked at "Miles" and said, "I am going to assume, given all else being equal, that outside of whatever hidden programming you have, you are, in fact, Miles O'Brien, at least as far as you know."

"Yes, Sir," Miles answered.

"Miles O'Brien is one of the most loyal men I have ever served with. Can I count on your assistance?" Sisko asked intently.

"I'll do whatever I can to help," the man said staunchly.

"Okay, then. Give me more detail as to what you remember. _Everything_."

As Harry watched, he marveled at how realistic the man's reactions and expressions were. If he didn't know, Harry would have never guessed that there was anything off.

Through examination of experiences, they determined that Miles had arrived and met with the Paradas, and then things had changed.

"Sir?" Miles added with some trepidation.

"Chief?" Sisko asked, giving the man the respect of the identity he portrayed.

"I notice that I seem to have an urge to alert the Paradas that something is wrong. I also feel it's important to visit the rebels and tell them personally."

Sisko nodded. "Can you tell the reason for these feelings?"

The man sighed. "No. It's just an urge that's getting worse."

The Vulcan nurse who had helped volunteered, "I can assist to uncover the source of the urge and, if it is false, remove it."

Sisko nodded and looked at Miles. "Given that you were forced into this, I am loathe to force you to accept this. What do you want?"

"Miles" sighed. "The feeling that anyone mucking about in my head is absolutely wrong is not what I've experienced when I dealt with things on Enterprise. Which means it's likely been added as well. That tells me I can't trust the feeling. So, yeah: I would like help with that."

"Ops to Commander Sisko."

"Go ahead," Sisko answered.

"We have an urgent communiqué from the Paradas rebels as regards a threat they've uncovered."

Sisko sighed. "I'm on my way." He turned off the badge. "Go ahead, Nurse. Doctor. Sir Harry. Odo, he _is_ still in custody. Dax, Major Kira: With me."

Harry, Bashir, and Odo watched as the Vulcan nurse worked to break through the block. After twenty minutes the two stirred and the meld ended.

The nurse looked at Bashir. "I was able to find the memories that were blocked. We did not erase them as he is supposed to receive a signal. We have desensitized the triggers so that he may assist Commander Sisko as required to resolve this and to find the original Miles O'Brien. He will not act under hidden commands anymore."

Bashir said, "Thank you. Please make a report to Constable Odo here and then go rest. I am certain this was not easy." The nurse didn't even protest. She went to the computer and started filling in a report as Odo directed.

Bashir scanned Miles. "How are you feeling?"

"Used. Disappointed. Disillusioned. I was a tool to be thrown away and then they made me into him – forced me to accept memories they had used a rogue Betazoid to retrieve."

Bashir finished scanning 'Miles' and stepped back. "Well, you're healthy. But I do have to inform you that you will experience accelerated aging."

"How accelerated?" he asked.

Bashir considered that. "You'll live fifteen years with no intervention. The good news is that physical aging, or at least the appearance of aging, will not be faster than any other standard Human. But you'll experience degradation which is commensurate with aging. There are options that can be tried – but they're tricky and can't be guaranteed."

Harry was amazed at how much empathy Julian could show even when he was worried about his friend Miles. Before Miles could speak Harry had a suggestion. "There is something I could try, but it's not quick and under any other circumstance would be dangerous."

"Miles" asked, "What is it?"

Harry paused and then said, "There is a potion. It takes weeks to brew and ingredients which I do not have in large amounts. But it could be exactly what is needed."

Julian asked, "What's the potion?"

Harry explained. "It's called Polyjuice. And for magical people, it's a way to physically change to another form for one hour. One mixes something from a target person with their DNA – wizards didn't know DNA but that's what it is – and the potion, when drunk, will change the wizard to that form. And after an hour, you change back."

Miles said, "But I'm not a wizard."

Harry nodded. "Right. There are warnings about using non-Human sources – my friend Hermione accidentally used cat hair and it took ten days for her to lose the cat eyes and ears and fur. But there is another warning about non-magical people using it: It affects them differently."

"How so?" Miles asked.

"Because you have no magic, the potion will mix your own form and the form you tried to change into. You will not be able to 'change back' fully."

Miles was about to ask, "And how will this help me?" but didn't. He sat there thinking and then said, "You're hoping that if you use something of the original Miles O'Brien, you can force whatever is unstable compared to the original to disappear because of that warning."

Harry's smile began and widened as he spoke. "Exactly. And I am so glad you saw that immediately."

"Why?" the clone asked curiously.

"Because I highly respect Miles and, for all intents and purposes, you _are_ Miles. You have his intelligence. If I can heal you, you'll be at loggerheads. And I have a big project back at Earth which could use a Chief Engineer. If you're declared safe, I'm going to want to hire you."

Everyone was a bit astonished. Odo asked, "The man who we know was meant to be an infiltrator? Someone specifically created to be so? And quite possibly worse?"

Harry chuckled. "I love your paranoia Odo, but we already know none of it's his fault. And considering he's been as cooperative as you could reasonable expect considering the circumstances, I think he'll be fine. In the end, he's going to need an identity, a job, and likely to be away from here."

The clone said morosely, "Definitely away from here."

Odo asked curiously, "Why away from here?"

Julian fielded that. "Because even if he knows his memories were implanted, to him his wife is going to be with another man who looks just like him and that man will be raising his daughter. That's … well, that would torturous to make him stay here."

Odo nodded. "Weren't you considering erasing some memories?"

"No," Harry said. "That's a solution of last resort and I would only do that if there were no other choice. I did it last time because of why it was being asked and it was sacrificing knowledge no one really wanted anyway. These memories are part of what makes Miles, Miles. And even if this isn't Miles … well, it just seems wrong to me."

Just then, Sisko appeared at the entrance to sickbay. "We just received word that the rebels have a spy in the government which alerted them that Miles O'Brien was being replaced. It's something the Paradas' government has done before: Inserting false copies as agents of assassination or disruption. The rebels are moving to recover Chief O'Brien. But they do not want us to file a protest until he has been recovered."

Julian said, "Because it will alert them to the rescue."

Sisko nodded. He looked at the close. "Chief O'Brien – I assume that you are, in effect, still effectively the same man – are you willing to cooperate?"

"Yes, Commander. I'll do as I'm asked. And when it's resolved, we can talk about how to proceed."

Sisko nodded curtly. "Until the matter is resolved you will be called Chief O'Brien. Keiko and Molly will not expect you to interact with them."

The clone snorted. "I can imagine how uncomfortable Keiko would be. An incident on the Enterprise told me that. I can stay in a cell unless you need me to be seen?"

Sisko said, "We don't think that the Paradas have a spy here. So that won't be necessary. But we'll put out the word that you are working on a special project to answer any inquiries. Until the original Chief is back …"

Harry interrupted the Commander. "I have a room in my tent and elves who can keep an eye on him. They can make sure he's taken care of and also make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous."

Sisko considered that. "Very well. He's under parole answering to you, Sir Harry."

Harry nodded. "Okay then. Let's come up with a name for you instead of Miles – I'm sure we can think of something." The two men walked out, Odo following to make certain nothing happened.

* * *

After 39 hours word came back: Chief Miles O'Brien had been recovered and matters would soon be resolved.

Formal protests were files and the Paradas government had been deemed by the Federation arbiter to have entered into the negotiations in bad faith.

Sisko came and saw Harry's guest. "Mr. O'Brien. How are you doing?"

The clone sighed. "I'm doing alright. I'm glad the original Miles was recovered – for Keiko's and Molly's sake especially."

Sisko replied, "Yes. Now as to your status: The Paradas have requested you be returned to them as, even by our admission, they created you."

"I see." Miles glanced at Harry. "But Federation law sees me as just as much alive as the original. I can't be owned by a government."

"Exactly right," Sisko said with a wide grin. "Their request was summarily denied. Nurse Mon has testified that the mind meld released any hidden commands and that you were entirely free of outside influences. As such, your status is that of a sentient. We will go ahead and register you as a Federation citizen if that is what you want."

Miles nodded. "I've been talking to Sir Harry. He and Julian are going to work together to stabilize the aging factor. Once that's done, I've decided I'm going to work for Sir Harry. He's already put in word with New Buckingham Palace back on Earth to arrange for me to be registered as a full citizen of Earth. I considered Starfleet, but I saw how the accidental clone of Commander Riker seemed to be less than pleased to have people think he was following in William Riker's shoes. I prefer a clean break."

Sisko said, "I can understand that. I will actually be sorry to see you go. The idea of two Miles O'Brien working for me was … well, I wouldn't have objected, certainly."

The clone chuckled. "Thank you, Commander. I'm going to help Sir Harry and the Paqu down on Bajor while they create the medicine they'll be using to help me." _Potion_, to Miles' sensibilities, was just too superstitious sounding. "And I've decided to go by Fergus, after a great uncle. After Miles O'Brien comes back, I'm going to talk to him about being something of his twin. Which for all intents and purposes, I am."

Sisko asked, "Do you think he will accept that?" His tone was curious, not disapproving.

Fergus replied, "I would if it were me. And since I was made to react like him, I'm pretty confident he will." Fergus smiled slightly. "After we work it out, it's going to be fun calling our brothers and other family members. They're going to be either happy or be protecting themselves against the Fae by wearing iron and such." At Sisko's look he said, "The family can be a bit superstitious."

At that, Sisko, along with Miles and Harry, laughed. Harry said, "Make sure they know you're going to work for a Wizard."

"That will certainly put the cat among the canaries," Fergus said with amusement.

Sisko finally said, "I'm glad matters can be resolved well for you. The Paradas definitely are being punished for their actions."

Fergus shrugged. "It's fine. I just need to put matters behind me as soon as possible."

Sisko stood up. "I will let Sir Harry know when Chief O"Brien has returned."

"Thank you, Commander."

Sisko nodded at Harry and then left. Harry said, "Okay. Now. You want to get back to the plans for Griffon?"

Harry had already signed Fergus to a secrecy contract and the man was intrigued at the idea of a warp-capable ship of that size. Already he had come up with some ideas to resolve issues Lars had reported they were running into and Harry couldn't be happier.

* * *

On Fergus's wrist, an alarm sounded. "You need to go check on the potion." Harry nodded and the two men went into the tent.

Harry had enlisted Fergus's help to make certain he didn't miss anything. The man was brilliant and the making of a potion was something he could understand easily. Already Harry had allowed him to try to brew his own potion but even though he had done exactly has Harry, the potion didn't change.

This had proven that Polyjuice was not a potion that depended solely on the magic of the ingredients. Some potions could be brewed by anyone and this wasn't one of them.

It did mean that Harry had to do all of the work. In an extreme emergency, an elf could stir, but that was not advised for this class of potion. Harry could not leave the station for more three days at most and, at some stages, not more than a day.

However, Harry had started the potion in a mobile lab – a suitcase designed for potion brewers who had to move around a lot. It was obscenely expensive and Britain had scoffed at them (they were made by an American company) but it was guaranteed for any potion needing extreme brewing time to be kept stable even if moved.

Hermione had taken six weeks, but that was partly because ingredients were not all available and had taken time to procure.

Polyjuice could last anywhere from ten minutes to twelve hours but the longer lasting variety took extreme dedication; Harry wasn't that good. However, putting Fergus in charge of the schedule meant that it was possible, just possible, that the quality of the potion might be better than Hermione's was in second year.

Harry chuckled to himself that his bar was beating a twelve-year old witch who had brewed it in a bathroom and hidden from any adults. But, then again, it was Hermione who he was comparing himself to and, in some matters, it just wasn't fair how much better she was at certain things.

Harry had to admit to himself that he had no right to complain: He was certain that some people felt the same about him and Defense Against the Dark Arts. And Hermione's extracurricular efforts, more often than not, were for his benefit in those years.

* * *

Miles returned and, after the man had time to visit his wife and daughter, the two men sequestered themselves away to talk and drink together (Dobby served drinks but promised to keep their conversations secret).

Both were pretty calm when they got out, and both seemed happy at the idea of being brothers.

Later than night, everyone had gotten together to talk save Sisko who was with his son.

After hearing the results of the discussion, Kira was surprised at how easy the relationship was. "Isn't it, I don't know, strange that he's pretty much, you know, you?"

Miles glanced at Fergus, who was stoic at that. "He didn't ask to be made or to have my life inserted into his mind; it wasn't _his_ fault. And now that everything is sorted out, he does have a few differences."

Dax was amused. "Like what?"

The two men looked at each other. Fergus said, "He keeps his hair longer." Fergus had cut his hair closer to a buzz cut.

Miles nodded, "And he's not in Starfleet." Fergus was wearing civilian clothes.

Harry, who had been watching, said, "Once we finish the treatment, you can try this. I brewed it special for you."

Fergus asked leerily, "What is it?" even as he accepted the vial from the Wizard.

"It's a hair-growth potion. I figure it's the easiest way to get you two looking different."

Fergus was dubious. "We're _terrible_ at growing facial hair."

Harry shrugged. "This will maximize what can be grown. You'll grow hair _everywhere_ hair normally grows."

Fergus was surprised. "Even my chest hairs?"

Kira was amused. "I've got to see that!"

Miles said, "No!"

Fergus, amused himself now, said, "Hey. It's _my_ hair – I'll let her see if I want to." He then looked at Major Kira. "No."

Everyone laughed. Miles said, "Well, this has been fun but I've got an early day. There are things I have to finish before the next trip in two days."

"Trip?" Harry asked.

"Reconnaissance for Starfleet," Miles said. "We're set to check out some nearby systems." He paused. "Want to come? There are no secrets on this one and an additional pilot would be nice."

Harry replied with a disappointed tone, "I can't. I have to stay on the station for Fergus's potion."

Miles said, "Oh, yeah. He told me. And that reminds me that I wanted to add my thanks for helping him."

Harry shrugged. "He's going to work for me so it's in my interests."

Miles said, "I know you well enough to say that you'd have done it regardless."

"True," Harry admitted. The group chuckled.

The group farewelled each other.

* * *

Harry was basically alone for the day. The Polyjuice didn't need any direct supervision for two days and Fergus had been dropped off by Sisko and the Chief to help with the equipment used to make Butterbeer.

As a result, he had time to contact Lars via subspace relay.

"Lars Dresbach, as I live and breathe. How are you, old sod?" Harry said with some cheek.

Lars was confused. "Old sod?"

Harry actually was embarrassed. "That is British slang from my time. It actually means someone who is annoying in a good or bad way, but we also used it to refer to cantankerous old people. 'Oh, you just visited your Uncle. How is the old sod?' I was basically teasing as you're actually quite fun to talk to. Usually."

Lars laughed. "I will have to remember that one. Anyway. Checking in I take it?"

"Yes. I sent the information back on the rune schemes. I assume you got them?"

"Yes. I will be having the computer come up with other possible schemes for the shield bubble for the landing bays. But I've been concentrating on overseeing the smaller ship. King Charles suggested the name USS Regina to honor his ancestor Queen Elizabeth II."

"Marauder not quite the image he wants a Knight portraying," Harry observed.

"Yes. And while a number of names could do, the ship is yours and it _is_ your choice," Lars commented.

Harry considered it for a long moment. "I would have suggested calling it the Queen Elizabeth but it's a bit too small to hold such a grand name. Regina is Latin for queen but was used as a name in a number of places to recognize Queen Elizabeth II or Queen Victoria. But my ship is a bit small to be called Regina, I think."

Lars said, "His other choice was USS Bruce, as in Robert the Bruce. Since he was the one who created the Order of the Thistle."

Harry considered that. "I think Robert the Bruce would have considered it an honor. Although if I remember my history, his family name was de Brus. I like Bruce, but we could also use Windsor."

Lars replied, "I'll tell him. Your ship is coming along. The Griffon is also progressing, but it will likely take another year in total – the Griffon's systems have to be adjusted once installed and then the plans have to be corrected."

Harry asked, "Why adjusted?"

Lars replied, "Because the Griffon is _huge_. It's good we can work with the modified gold," Harry understood neutronium, "because the reactors alone would be impossible under normal circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

Lars replied, "The amount of shielding that would be required is much reduced because our surface layer stops all radiation from passing through."

Harry said, "I wasn't aware that it stopped radiation."

Lars looked at Harry and said, "Sometimes I forget how ignorant you can be." Harry's face showed him taking some offense. "I'm sorry. But that comment did demonstrate a shallow level of understanding. If you can't scan through it, doesn't it stand to reason that it prevents radiation from traversing it?"

Harry considered that. "Oh. Yeah. That would be true, wouldn't it?" Harry blushed. "Okay. That _was_ pretty ignorant."

Lars chuckled. "It's alright – there's a reason you have engineers doing the heavy lifting on designing this monstrosity."

Harry nodded. "And speaking of Engineers: In about a month, I'm sending my new Chief Engineer."

Lars nodded. "Who will it be?"

"Have you heard the name Miles O'Brien?"

Lars nodded. "I met him. He's Chief of Operations on Deep Space 9. I got to talking to him and he's a pretty brilliant engineer – that place would have been much worse without him."

"Right. Well, someone made a clone of him illegally. That's all taken care of but we're left with an extra man with all of his knowledge transferred in. He's as smart as the original, and it seems just as creative."

Lars whistled. "And this will be your engineer?"

"Yep. As soon as we take care of a few health issues – the cloning process was not as good as we would like it to be and Fergus has a few issues we need to handle first. But that will be done in a month."

Lars asked, "And then he's coming here?"

Harry grinned. "He's going to help solve all the difficulties. I think you'll like working with him."

Lars was as enthusiastic as Harry expected him to be. "I truly look forward to the man's arrival."

* * *

It was getting late and Harry was a little worried. He called Ops. "Potter to Major Kira."

"Go ahead."

"Is it just me or are the Commander and the two O'Briens late?"

"It is later than the Commander's planned return."

"Can you try to reach Commander Sisko and Chief O'Brien?" Harry asked.

"We've already tried. They could be delayed and out of communication range. If we don't hear from them before tomorrow morning Dax and I are planning on going to go find them."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go against conventional wisdom and say: Go now. And Fergus is down on the surface with the Paqu. If you get him, he can help with whatever mechanical help you need."

Major Kira's voice came back, "I will take that under advisement."

Harry, with Winky's help (Winky was a bit more detail oriented than Dobby) made certain nothing interrupted the brewing process while Fergus was retrieved by Major Kira and Dax to assist.

Odo was effectively in charge when Major Kira and Dax weren't on the station and Harry checked in with him several times until word came back that the Command and Chief had been found and were returning.

* * *

Fergus O'Brien made his way back to his employer's quarters. Even though he had Miles' memories, he knew he had to continue to think of himself as Fergus.

Keiko O'Brien had been a bit hesitant to meet him, which he understood. The woman who was Miles O'Brien's wife wasn't happy with the idea of someone having the memories of their intimate encounters.

Sir Harry had finally consented to a specific obliviate for those memories. And, in truth, Fergus was happier too because he felt less nervous about everything.

Everyone had agreed to keep Molly away from Fergus until he could be visibly identified as different. Molly would be introduced to her "uncle Fergus" then. Miles had already started telling his daughter about his twin which would be visiting.

He had enjoyed his time on the surface as well as helping to clean up the poorly done sabotage of the runabout's logs.

He had a room near Sir Harry's quarters, as he didn't like living in a tent. Still, he had to report.

He got to the door and said quietly, "Winky!" Winky popped in nearby. "Let Sir Harry know I'm back, please?"

"Of course, Mister Fergus." Winky was happy to oblige.

A moment after disappearing, the door opened and he went in.

"Welcome back, Fergus. How was the trip?" Sir Harry asked.

He moved to sit down. "Things went well. I got the power mismatch in the plant resolved – it was tricky but not hard – and then helped with Miles' retrieval. Well, Miles and the Commander of course."

"Right. Winky has been reminding me of the brewing schedule and that's fine." Fergus nodded. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Fergus explained about the "shipwrecked" colonists who hadn't actually been shipwrecked. The technology dampening field was also explained.

Harry listened and reacted. "Damn! I should have a communication system that didn't rely on technology."

Fergus was curious. "Like what?"

Harry said, "Well, my father and his friend made mirrors, and I have their notes in my computer."

Fergus nodded. "How far will that work?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. But in orbit to a surface isn't that far really."

Fergus asked, "Could it work, say, from here to Bajor?"

Harry was about to answer. "I don't know really. I should test that. I was thinking about testing if I could leave a magical painting in one system and use it to communicate back and forth."

Fergus was confused. "Magical painting?" Harry chuckled and explained. When he was done Fergus nodded. "You know, the magical painting thing and the mirrors sound related. Not the same thing, of course, but they really sound somewhat related."

Harry considered that for a long moment. "You know? I never considered that. I should really look at how magical paint is made vs magical ink. That might make it easier to make my map."

"Map?" Fergus asked.

Harry sighed and explained the Marauder's Map and what he was trying to do with that.

Fergus shook his head. "Seems to me you're working on too many things at once – or aren't concentrating enough on each thing. It takes a bit of practice to be able to deal with several things at once. But it's always less successful than dealing with one thing at a time."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "What should I do first?"

"How about the mirrors? Do you have some from home and have you tried to make them from mirrors created by a replicator?"

And just like that, Fergus O'Brien started helping Harry with the numerous project ideas he had by pointing out things that he hadn't considered.


	23. Holo Systems

Harry found that Fergus and Lars got along very well. He observed one conversation and he was lost quite quickly.

He left them to it.

The Polyjuice potion was progressing quite well. The color was, in Harry's opinion, even closer to the instruction's directions that Hermione's had been. At least from what he remembered.

It was the third week and Fergus was getting impatient. The work needing done back in the Sol system was calling to him. He had set upon the idea of creating extremely miniature runes in converted gold and silver and then converting them to a silver and neutronium. The very small letters were tiny enough that the amalgamation of silver and gold did not act as a deterrent to reverse transfiguration and they were effective in making a highly magical metal ink.

The biggest problem currently in using the neutronium was that an amalgam of gold and something else prevented the magical device Lars had in converting the gold back to neutronium.

Lars Dresbach had been unhappy that he couldn't create a nuetronium alloy for a ship's hull using that system. Harry had tried to apply the spells directly and he had failed as well.

Another thing that was tested was how thick a layer of nuetronium was needed to prevent phaser fire from being effective. This had proved to be a positive as it was determined that a thickness of 2 microns was sufficient to provide some protection; 10 microns was thick enough to stop hand phasers set to kill; and 40 micrometers was sufficient to protect against phaser fire set to disintegration. A ships's phaser required 100 microns and they had settled on a minimum of a millimeter, a thousand microns, for armor purposes.

The pieces inside a warp engine had a 200 micron thick minimum surface, making the parts extremely heavy. A cubic centimeter of the material weighed several tons and only a few atoms was enough to make it heavy to carry.

The calculations put the immediately available neutronium to cover a surface, for armor, of a square kilometer even if they could use the whole block that had been available. They didn't have enough to start coating ships willy-nilly, especially not ships the size of Griffon.

Harry sent word back as to the results of their tests and the projected limitations. Fergus, after consulting Miles, sent back designs for saws made of layered neutronium which, it was hoped, would be sufficiently hard to cut raw neutronium, much the way that diamond used to be cut by diamond saws.

Miles and Fergus had come up with chains with nuetronium teeth, saws with neutronium cutting edges, and a press with a single edge coated in neutronium down to a thickness of .5 microns at the cutting edge.

They were worried that even being sharp enough to cut neutronium didn't guarantee they could manipulate the tools well. They would be _incredibly_ dangerous to use. A human hand just brushing against the cutting surfaces could be cut away. And tools made of simple steel would also be cut easily.

Lars promised extreme caution would be used and the ship or ships being sent to attempt to retrieve more neutronium would be sufficiently briefed on the possible dangers.

Harry was only hoping that such measures would be successful because he didn't want to force his elves to break up any more nuetronium.

Lars had also been quite enthusiastic about using the same methods to shape and build the Griffon. A sanding done by a nuetronium-grit sanding tool could get rid of all imperfections to crystals used to focus phasers and for other optical devices. Tolerances which were normally in the microns could be reduced to a less than a micron and neutronium coating wouldn't wear the same way.

* * *

Harry had to have a discussion with King Charles about the subject. He put in a call and, after pleasantries had been completed, he got down to business.

"Sire, have you been keeping abreast of the progress at Beth's Place?"

"Somewhat, though William has been doing most of the work there. Is there a particular concern, Sir Harry?"

"Yes," Harry replied stoically. "You've heard of my new Chief Engineer?"" Charles nodded. "He came up with the idea of using our process to make tools to further retrieve more gold ore – if you understand."

Chalres chuckled, "You might as well say neutronium. The only people who can break into this is the Federation and they have already been apprised of the limited ability to manipulate it."

Harry was dubious but accepted his sovereign's decision. "Anyway. We've calculated the limits of the neutronium we already have on site and my new Engineer came up with the idea of tools coated in neutronium to cut more neutronium. We'll need more and I'm sure the Federation will need more."

Charles considered that. "Likely."

"Well, if we can make tools using a coating of it, won't this be a significant factor in the economy of ship-building and other tool manufacture? Despite the 'not money' economy of the Federation, there is still an economy which could be disrupted." Harry was worried.

Charles, it was obvious, was not. "I think the fact that only _we_ can provide such modifications and that our ability is limited will prevent it. And I think the call for such would be minimum."

Harry was curious. "Why do you think that, King Charles?"

Charles smiled and said, "Isn't it impossible to transport neutronium with our current technology? Tools that need a shuttle to transport would be expensive to get out to the entire fleet or to other planets." Harry was shocked. He hadn't considered that aspect. "So we can provide such tools on an individual basis and if it's such an issue, it's not something that is likely a factor on a larger scale."

Harry was sheepish as he said, "You're right, Sir. I hadn't considered that. I was worried that they would ask for more and more and I can now see that's not an issue. But at least the O'Briens possibly figured out how to get more neutronium ore retrieved for further use."

"That is good. Give them a well done from me," Charles said.

"I will, Sir."

"Anything else?" Harry had nothing. "New Buckingham, out."

* * *

Later that night Harry made his way to Quarks. He didn't eat at Quarks for the social factor, he ate at Quarks for the gossip. Jadzia Dax was telling Major Kira about her trip with Odo.

"It was such a tragedy," Dax said.

"How so?" Major Kira asked.

"The whole town there are holograms. There's a huge holographic generator and no one except the one physical person knows.

Harry was curious. "Jadzia?" The two women looked over. "Sorry for listening. Can I hear about this?"

Dax considered it and then explained as there wasn't anything classified about it.

"Wow. So a whole town of holograms. How did the power systems work?" he asked curiously. Dax explained the way the power was tied into the system.

But that wasn't Harry's true purpose in asking. He learned what he needed to know: The sole living man was there because his people were all killed by the Dominion. This was another mark against the Dominion.

* * *

Harry farewelled Dax and Kira and made his way back to his rooms, thinking all the way.

The idea of a group of holograms was interesting, but for that to work you'd need emitters all over the place or a single emitter which was powerful enough. Both could be interfered with by some of the magic that he was planning.

He knew he'd have an Emergency Medical Hologram on his ship but that character would be limited to the sickbay. It might be useful to put in emitters in Engineering and on the Bridge. He might not want a holographic crew if he could avoid it, but being able to call for a medic in an instant when someone got hurt? That could be valuable.

Harry had a sudden idea. "Where's Miles?" he asked himself. Duh: With Keiko. "Okay. Fergus." He sped off to find his Engineer.

He found him doing some work that he had gotten from Miles while he was waiting. "Fergus!"

The man turned from the panel he was working on and said, "Sir Harry. Need something?"

"I have a few questions for you. How long until you're done?"

Fergus glanced at the panel, made a change, logged it in, and then turned. "I'm done for the night."

"Good. Come back to my place."

Fergus looked at Harry. "You're far too happy in a vicious sort of way."

"This is the pranking face I earned from my father and godfather," Harry said.

They got back to his quarters and, after making sure Miles had refreshment, Harry asked, "How much do you remember of Miles' memories?"

Fergus replied, "Most of them. But the further back I go, the less detail I can remember. So while I have the same way of thinking and solving problems, I don't remember everything Miles ever did."

Harry huffed. "Do you remember the holo-program that Miles helped me with?"

Fergus asked, "Quidditch?" Harry nodded. "Yeah. I remember enough of it anyway. Why?" he asked.

Harry smirked again. "How hard would it be to install holo-emitters on the bridge of a Starship or in engineering?"

Fergus considered that. "Well, that's a power intensive system, but with the right setup, it's not that hard actually. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that the EMH could be called in Engineering or on the Bridge if there are injuries and no one has time to handle it. I also thought about emergency personnel that could be activated in a pinch – locking down the warp drive, fixing the environmental controls, attacking an enemy; things like that."

Miles was interested and considered that while looking off. "Well, you'd have to make sure the programmed characters were up on everything. But that might be useful." He looked back at Harry. "But what does that have to do with your holo-program?"

Harry nodded. "You can make it so that holo-created items disappear at a defined location, right?"

Fergus shrugged. "Sure. Not hard at all."

Harry's smirk came back. "Do you remember the bludgers from the quidditch program?"

"Yes," Fergus replied. "I also remember the two beaters you programmed – the red-headed devils."

"Right." Harry's smirk got wider. "Have you ever experienced the bridge or engineering being invaded?"

Miles nodded. "Once or twice – not fun."

"Right." Harry's smirk widened more. "How about a program for invasions which activates a holo-program which is bludgers flying around at anyone not registered as crew or as guests?"

Fergus' eyes widened. "Do you know how much damage a flying iron ball could do to the equipment in engineering or on the bridge?"

"I know," Harry replied. "That's why we program them to disappear two inches from the equipment or from a 'safe' person and then reappear as though they flew into the wall and then turned to fly out. It would be utterly frightening."

"Just have iron balls flying around knocking over invaders?" Fergus asked with some incredulity.

"Right. And we already programmed them to modify themselves depending on who is playing – so a regular Human could be knocked out but not killed, right?"

Fergus looked at Harry and shook his head. "You are a sick, sick man, Sir Harry Potter. I really think you should talk to someone about these sociopathic tendencies." Fergus then stopped and his own face changed with a smirk of his own. "We should book the holo-suite so we can start programming that now."

Harry laughed.

* * *

For the next several days, Fergus O'Brien and Sir Harry Potter used one of Quark's holo-suites for several hours a day. And on the day before the Polyjuice potion was finished, Harry and Fergus' invader defense was fully programmed.

Fergus looked at his boss. "Do we show anyone?"

Harry considered that. "How do you think they'd react?"

Fergus considered. "Miles will be impressed. Julian? He'll be a little sick but think it's funny. Major Kira would think it was fine – especially if you uses Cardassian invaders for the demonstration. Commander Sisko is the wildcard. But something tells me he's a lot more flexible than most would expect."

"Let's invite them and see what they think," Harry said. He then started rubbing his hands together. "This is going to be awesome."

* * *

Fergus and Harry were drinking when the Deep Space 9 command staff started trickling in. Finally, the Command arrived and everyone was present. Harry stood up. "I'm glad you're all here. I wanted to get your input on something that I thought of and Fergus here," he put his hand on the man's shoulder, "helped me program."

"What do you need input _on_?" Sisko asked archly.

Harry said, "We're going to have to show you. It requires your Starfleet training and in exchange I will pay for each of you to enjoy a night of whatever services and drinks you wish here at Quarks – up to twenty slips of latinum. I'm not made of money." He actually had a lot of money because of the deal with the neutronium, but he wasn't going to tell them that. "Holo-programs, betting, whatever."

Sisko said, "I will agree but I want a day of your assistance at the time of my choosing, or the equivalent."

Harry considered that. "I will agree as nothing you ask for violates my sense of honor, as unlikely as that would be."

Sisko nodded in agreement.

Dax said, "I'm taking the services – I like a good time." Julian and Miles echoed that.

Major Kira asked, "Can I get a donation at the temple in my name instead?"

"How about this?" Harry contacted the computer and transferred an amount in Bajoran currency to Major Kira's account. "Now you can do what you want with it, including making a donation."

Quark, in the background, shook his head. He had been looking forward to making real money from these people and the Hu-mans were once again mucking about. He couldn't complain much – Potter had paid him well that week. But he always liked making more.

Harry led the group back and put them into one of the holo-suites. "Okay. We've created a program based on a Starfleet training program. It uses a Miranda-class bridge on a ship that we've named the USS Tribble after a cuddly animal the Klingons hunted to extinction."

Dax snorted. When everyone looked at her she said, "They still tell stories about the great Tribble Hunt – they _despised_ the creatures."

Harry grinned. "I know. But I wanted my ship to be unique. Fergus and I have made a modification: Our Miranda has holo-emitters, two of them, on the bridge and in Engineering. There are a few things we've programmed them to do based on certain conditions: Red-Alert, Battlestations, Intruder Alert, and Medical Emergency. We'd like Commander Sisko to take command of the Tribble and react as trained. Dax is Science Officer, Chief O'Brien is at Engineering, Major Kira is at Tactical, and Julian will sit and observe – we'll be out of sight."

Sisko asked, "What's the program name?"

Harry said, "You are a supply ship attempting to reach the front lines in a conflict against the Cardassian Empire." He raised his hands to stop the protest. "Yes. They are theoretically in a treaty with the Federation. I won't tell if you don't. Anyway. You are supplying ships running down Cardassian attackers in what was known as the DMZ. The program is: Operation Load-Out."

Julian asked, "Load out?"

Harry said, "It's an old Earth term for supplying a soldier for a particular unit or mission. If you were sent on a mission, you got a load out from the Quartermaster with what the bosses thought you needed or what you thought was needed to complete your objectives."

Julian asked, "So the Unit in-charge would brief them and then the supply guy would call out, 'Step right up for the load-out'?"

Harry replied patiently, "That could be done. It's just a name for the fake mission. Okay?"

"Okay."

Harry called out the program name. The computer asked for all authorized personnel and all observers and Harry listed them.

Once the simulation started Julian asked, "Why did it need to know authorized personnel?"

Fergus answered that question, "Because Intruder Alert needs it."

* * *

Sisko was now commanding the mission and all personnel were either the DS9 command staff or characters added by the program.

And just as the simulation was programmed to do, the USS Tribble was accosted by a pair of Cardassian ships attempting to stop it and then board.

Because the simulation was in "Red Alert" three additional people shimmered into place. When Sisko asked who they were they said, "Holographic emergency backup." When Battlestations was called, two personnel with damage control equipment shimmered into existence.

Sisko turned back to the simulation. The biggest difference between what Harry had done and Sisko was that Sisko knew how to command ships better. The bias to allow the Cardassians to win a bit had to kick in. One of the holographic crew members had their panel suddenly be covered due to a plasma leak sparking. "Computer: Defeat BattleSafety for this station." The shield disappeared and the crew member could get off two more shots before their panel exploded and they were thrown back. The holographic damage control started to work but failed.

An alert went out to automatically alert Damage Control that they were needed on the bridge.

Sisko called out, "Medical Emergency on the Bridge!" The DS9 crew members were shocked when an EMH Mark 1 shimmered into existence at the back of the bridge. The activation protocol wasted some time but that was a part of the protocol. The EMH got down to handling the emergency.

And when Major Kira called out they were being boarded, Sisko called out, "Intruder Alert on the Bridge!" even as Cardassian crew members started appearing in a faux-transporter flash.

Everyone was shocked when steel balls started flying around directly at the location of the newly appearing Cardassians. They were not prepared and were knocked out, though one ducked.

The bludger flew into a panel, didn't connect, but then flew out of another spot two feet away directly at the recovering Cardassian. The bludger didn't miss a second time.

The three bludgers then flew around in a circle at the top of the bridge space waiting for more intruders.

When another group of Cardassians started appearing, the bludgers hit them as well and Sisko just continued ordering his ship.

Through skill and chance, Sisko won he engagement and flew the Tribble back on her original course. A voice sounded: "End of Simulation."

* * *

Sisko said as soon as the scene changed, "What in the hell was that?"

Harry laughed along with Fergus. "We programmed the Tribble with holographic emitters for the bridge. Red Alert immediately creates a backup crewman for each system vital to continued operation. Battle Stations creates two Damage Control crewmen but there is a backup in case that fails. Medical Emergency activates the EMH system if the ship has one, and if it doesn't it activates a crewman to report immediate injuries to the Medical section, attempting to stop any life-threatening trouble. That won't always be successful but it could save lives.

"If the system registers that a panel is about to explode, a safety cover appears to protect crewmembers but that can be overridden if the crewmember deems it necessary. And Intruder Alert flies iron balls called bludgers at anyone not registered as a member of the crew or accepted visitor. That can be cancelled by the Captain or First Officer with 'Bludgers Off!' if they prove a danger. But they are programmed to disappear before hitting any station or registered personnel and reappear as though they continued flying through the walls or people."

Major Kira laughed. "I did enjoy seeing the Cardassian intruders get knocked down."

Harry laughed. "I thought you'd especially like that."

Sisko nodded thoughtfully. He looked around. "Where are the holo systems located?"

Harry pointed below the Captain's chair and then above the forward screen. "They are hidden and powered as a part of systems not dependent on the normal power flows. They are listed individually per ship so that a Captain can make certain that no one knows where to find the controls. He can tell his people but invaders wouldn't know. I have the Tribble's holographic controls under the EMH umbrella."

Sisko looked at Harry and Fergus for a long moment. "I will submit a copy of the program and a holographic battle system to Starfleet Research, crediting you as the source. I do think the idea is quite viable."

Miles said, "That was quite the program. And the bludgers from the quidditch program … I'm glad I wasn't the Cardassians."

Everyone laughed.

* * *

The next morning Julian had several people who were present for the "experimental" treatment for Fergus O'Brien. "Okay," Harry said. "This is Polyjuice."

Sisko, who was there, said, "That looks like sludge."

Harry nodded. "It is – polyjuice is an extremely unpleasant concoction, though it will change depending on the person whose hair you add."

Fergus asked hopefully, "So it might not be so bad?"

Harry winced. "Sorry. Non-magical people uniformly provide a sludge-like texture when they are added."

Fergus nodded morosely. "Okay. I'm ready."

Harry nodded. "Miles? If Doctor Bashir can get a hair or two?"

Miles let Julian cut off two hairs. Julian held it with tweezers. "Okay. We're ready."

Harry uncorked the vial and Julian dropped the hair in. Harry corked it and then vigorously shook the vial. When he was done, everyone looked.

Fergus said, "That looks even worse!"

Harry chuckled. "Sorry." He handed over the vial. "Just chug it – it's less unpleasant."

Fergus nodded, took a deep breath and then uncorked it. He closed his eyes and, after preparing himself, he did as he was told and chugged the vial down.

"Oh, _God_ I taste horrible." Everyone gave him sympathetic looks. He suddenly paused. "I feel like something's happening!" Harry grabbed the vial.

Julian said, "Lie down."

Fergus had a few contortions and then suddenly he stopped. When he was done he looked … exactly the same. "Okay. Why did I feel that?"

Harry said, "Because you were changing, even though you should be a perfect clone. Actually, you were stronger than Miles – your extra strength is probably gone."

Julian scanned Fergus thoroughly. "According to this, the degradation factor has disappeared. Though I am getting some type of … flux."

Harry said, "Well, he did get changed. I suggest he wait until he 'feels' the change back. And then scan him. We can repeat this a few times because I made twelve doses."

Miles, watching, asked, "How long between treatments?"

Harry shrugged. "My fourth year we had a man who was disguised as a professor who took a dose every hour all day for ten months. He was fine when it was over I think, but he was killed before that could be verified."

Sisko had heard the story but the rest hadn't. So Harry recounted his fourth year again. The O'Briens and Julian were suitable amazed.

After an hour and fifteen minutes Fergus said, "It's happening!"

After a couple of minutes, the feeling disappeared and Julian scanned the man. He was perplexed. "The factors marking him as a clone have reduced significantly. The degradation factor has significantly reduced."

Harry said, "I suggest running him through once more."

Fergus sighed and said, "Alright."

Sisko said, "Report when the treatment is finished."

"Yes, Commander."

Sisko nodded in farewell. The rest stayed and continued on.

By the end of a second treatment, there was almost no change at all compared to the first treatment. Julian said, "I'd like to repeat this once more tomorrow, just to be sure. But let's do a battery of tests for this moment."

Everyone agreed and the tests were done.

* * *

The next day, the treatment was repeated. Fergus reported feeling a disquiet when the potion was taken. But when it was scheduled to be done, Fergus could barely feel any change.

Julian scanned him thoroughly. And when he was done he said, "It isn't perfect, but it's damn close. Mr. Fergus O'Brien? You can expect to live about 95% as long as your brother, Miles, should you both live to old age. There are some minor anomalies, but I would like to check those after, say, six months."

Fergus nodded. "Thanks, Doc." He looked at Harry. "Thanks, Boss."

Harry said, "Thank your new brother. He agreed."

Fergus looked Miles. "Thanks, Miles."

Miles smiled and said, "Nothing I wouldn't do for any of our brothers."

Fergus nodded. "Now we're gonna have to call everyone."

Harry laughed. He handed over the vial of hair growth. "This can, hopefully, give you a beard. I suggest taking it back in your quarters and then grooming yourself after an hour."

When Fergus was done, he had a mustache and beard. And Miles and Keiko were now willing to introduce him to Molly as "Uncle Fergus."


	24. BSS Bruce

Harry carefully examined the large rock sitting on the antigrav mover's pad.

Fergus stood back. "What is this supposed to be?" Fergus asked.

Harry sighed. "It's a charging stone – a magical sink. Lars Dresbach is expecting me to come back and to help him activate a whole bunch of wards, enchantments, and spells. It would kill me to do it all at once. Instead, I'm going to at least try to be smart about it."

Fergus asked, "How's that?"

Harry pointed to the stone. "This is set to accept a certain amount of charge. It _should_ charge at a consistent rate until it is holding a maximum amount of magic. Once I get to Sol and to Beth's Place, I should be able to hook this up to the wards he's designing. Theoretically? Poof! They will all start charging."

Fergus understood the idea of a power source/battery, so that was fine. "And so when I get to Sol …"

"When you get to Sol, transfer this to the shuttle going to Beth's place, and then have it deposited on inner surface of the tunnel – preferably with something to tie it down."

Fergus said, "And it's not dangerous."

"No." Harry was definite on that. "These kinds of things are put in places where non-magicals are around and, as long as there isn't an active ward, they don't even notice. Magicals might feel it too, but it's unlikely. Worst case? It doesn't work. Best case? It has enough charge stored for everything when I get there."

"Which will be …"

"Three months? I'm working on a few additional personnel for the Bruce and then I have to figure out how to man the Griffon – that's going to take some people." Fergus almost snorted at the understatement. "But we'll get it flying."

Fergus nodded. He accepted the record of his orders and oversaw the delivery of the stone to the waiting cargo ship. He then made his goodbyes so that he could ship out at 21:00, the scheduled departure time for his transport. It would take three ships and four weeks but Fergus was on his way to Earth.

The Warp 5 restrictions increased travel times and there was a reason why it was called "Deep Space Nine" and not "Starbase right around the corner". In this case Harry was almost glad for the restrictions because the stone would be left alone and not unduly manipulated for at least that long. Charging a stone not in the ground was a far more tedious process.

* * *

With his Engineer sent off, Harry started spending his time working on perfecting the rune sets he would need to put up his wards. Lars might be creating rune sets to replace or supplement technology, but Harry wanted the wards which could allow him to protect his ship(s).

The wards he immediately included were protections against theft, flames, and hostile invasion. The anti-flame charm, he hoped would protect against most weapons which were, in a way, concentrated flame. The runes would have to be large or there would have to be many.

Transporters would bypass the wards and so he still had plans on his anti-intruder defenses being installed. He toyed with modifying anti-apparition/portkey wards, but realized that would cause more problems than it solved.

The unplottable and notice-me-not wards would have to be able to be turned on and off and by a non-magical person; a tricky endeavor. He had struck upon a simple mechanical machine inserting and pulling back a control crystal engraved with runes. He had diamonds which were easily engraved using current technology.

Harry was beginning to actually plan out his wards rather than viewing it as a theoretical exercise.

He also maintained his three-time a week quidditch schedule in addition to various exercises to maintain flexibility. The sword-training holo program had cost him a bit but had allowed him to knock off some rust.

The name for Harry's smaller ship had been finalized: BSS Bruce for Britannic Star Ship Bruce. As it was not owned by the Royal Household itself, Harry's request for HMS was regretfully denied. Charles would have approved it but the United Earth Government deemed that bringing back such a designation was too provincial. The Royal Household was, after all, only traditional and not sovereign.

With the work, studying and systems review he needed to complete to take control of the Bruce, Sir Harry Potter was a very busy man.

* * *

Harry was sitting at his computer studying the schematics on the Bruce's warp engine when the room shook. He looked around. "What the hell?"

He noticed the yellow alert indicator come on. His badge sounded. "O'Brien to Potter."

"Go."

"I've got a hull breach on Section 14. Could I get your assistance?"

"Sure. I'm on my way. What's going on?"

"I'll explain once the breach is covered."

Harry accepted that and, after getting better directions, he left.

* * *

When he got to the area, teams were pushing in a replacement panel against a background of a shield. "How long until it's in place?"

That team was headed by someone who knew him. "Just a moment."

"I can help set it."

Soon the sheet was set. "Step back." Once the others were out of the way, Harry cast a _reparo_ charm. And while it wasn't perfect, it was enough that the area sealed properly. "What else?"

The man looked at the patch. "We got it. Thanks – that saved us about two hours and was much safer. Maybe you can help with what caused this." He pointed toward a glowing _something_ in the area. Harry turned and looked at it. Dax was there running scans.

"What is it?" he asked when he got closer.

Dax looked up at the question. She said with a serious tone, "A proto-universe, which contains life meaning we can't destroy it. But it's starting to expand and we need to do something before it takes out the whole system. Ideally we should put it back where we got it."

"Where did it come from?" Harry asked.

"Gamma quadrant. My initiate and I ran into it accidentally."

Harry didn't understand "My Initiate" but he didn't need to. "Can I scan it?"

Jadzia considered it. "Cautiously. And stop if I tell you."

Harry cast a very mild spell and the energy was _sucked_ in. The proto-universe expanded. "Damn!" He stopped without being told.

Dax scanned it again. "Let's not do that again. That wasn't as bad as Verteron radiation would be – but it's not something we should toy with."

"Dobby!" Dobby popped in. "Get me a wizard trunk – one we can afford to lose."

Dobby nodded and popped off.

Dax asked, "Why?"

"Transport it into the trunk and then take it back to where you got it?" Harry was grasping at straws. But he had negatively affected the "universe" and so he wanted to help. A trunk was stable and provided some protections against outside forces.

Dax's eyes widened and she called Sisko. The hastily put-together plan was approved. Dobby reappeared and the mass was transported directly into the trunk.

Harry closed it. "Okay. You can move it by carrying it – I recommend against transport. Though …." He looked over at Dobby who was peering at the chest. "Can you move it safely?"

Dobby put his hand out and "felt" around the chest. "It is contained, Master Harry, but I can feel a small push. Is safe to pop now – not safe to pop later."

"Pop it to …" He looked at Dax. "Which runabout?"

"Pad C. Ganges."

"Pop it to the Ganges."

Dobby snapped his fingers and the chest disappeared. Dobby popped out, and then popped back. "It must be leaving soon. Two hours – no more."

Dax nodded. "I'll set a containment field. And now it's time to initiate my initiate into the exciting life Deep Space 9." She marched off with intent.

Harry knew that he could do nothing but he followed. "When you get to the other side, push or transport it out after unlocking the chest. The lid will open when it gets pushed from the inside and then this universe thingy will pop out as it expands. That will end up destroying the trunk, but that's okay."

Dax nodded. "Now I have to go find my initiate. He's not going to be easy as I kind of pushed him hard and he stormed off."

Harry smirked. "He's an adult, so try Quarks – that's where the booze is."

Jadzia's face lit up. "Good idea."

* * *

Harry waited with the rest of the command staff for Dax and the other Trill (Sisko explained the "my initiate" comment) to return. And there was a certain relief when the runabout appeared out of the wormhole none the worse for wear.

Because of his part, he was there for the debrief. Sisko accepted the verbal report and then turned to Harry.

"What effect will your magic have on the proto-universe?"

Harry's eyes widened. "I didn't even consider that." He thought for a long moment. "There could be one or more of several consequences."

Sisko said, "Which are?"

Harry huffed. "One would be very little or none. I only cast a diagnostic spell – and that is, after all, a very small amount of magic."

Sisko nodded. "Possible."

"I might have created a religion," Harry said.

Sisko and the others were surprised. "What?"

Harry chuckled darkly. "If life evolves to sentience in that universe, my magic could have kickstarted a magical component to the makeup of that universe. And that could cause these newly sentient life forms to start worshiping creatures that they don't understand. It could also cause exploitation too … like the way the dodoes were wiped out. Although …." He stopped at Sisko's hand being raised.

"The answer is you don't really know."

Harry smirked. "Correct." He became more serious. "Sorry about my almost causing the place to explode. Magic has actually been rather helpful to most of you but in this case … well, my using it caused an unintended consequence and I apologize."

Sisko nodded. "Apology accepted on behalf of Starfleet ..."

Kira echoed, "And Bajor."

Sisko continued, "… but be aware next time that there could be such unintended effects." He paused. "And don't cast magic on proto-universes if you can avoid it."

Harry accepted the comment with the humor intended. He would be more careful in the future.

* * *

Having gone back to work, he let himself begin to ignore the happenings on the station once more. He accepted meals from the elves or visited the replimat, worked on his warding schemes, did his quidditch training program, and continued reviewing the BSS Bruce's systems.

Visiting the replimat, he saw something that was outside of his experiences: Quark seemed to be in thrall to a visiting Cardassian woman who appeared to be giving him the cold shoulder. Harry suspected that was an act, though he wasn't certain.

Something about the whole situation was strange and so he went to his own expert on Cardassian behaviour: Garek.

"Master Garek," he said as he entered the man's shop. "How are you?"

"I am well, Sir Harry. What can I do for you today?"

Harry glanced around and, after casting a spell to make certain they were alone, he said, "I am attempting to understand what is going on with Quark, a Cardassian female visiting, and the others. Something is strange – I decided to come to you because you usually know what's happening."

He almost groaned when the tailor started in his double-speak but, after suitably nebulous comments and distracting statements, Harry got the gist: The woman had two students, the students had pissed off the Cardassian government, and she had a prior relationship with Quark.

Garek, Harry decided, was hiding something. He had some stake in this but hadn't played his hand yet. His lack of action wouldn't last long.

He made his way to Sisko's office and asked to see the man.

"How can I help you, Sir Harry?" Sisko was keeping his emotions in check.

"Is there some diplomatic issue with Cardassian visitors?"

Sisko paused. "Nothing diplomatic that I know of … yet. Officially, they are receiving assistance having arrived in a damaged vessel."

"Unofficially?" Harry asked quietly.

Sisko took a breath and let it out. "Their damage was caused by Cardassian weapons."

Harry nodded. "I asked Garek. According to him …"

Sisko was incredulous. "You got Garek to talk?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "If you are willing to accept double speak, innuendo, and metaphors. Anyway: The students are the targets; they have what the Cardassians view as a radical agenda. I think they spoke out about personal rights and you know how the Cardassians feel about that subject."

Sisko suppressed the quick grin he felt coming onto his face in response to that.

"Anyway. The woman with them, their teacher, is an old friend of Quark's and he's in love with her. So he'd dipping his oar into this stream as well, probably upsetting everyone else's interests. Garek seems to have some involvement, but whatever it is won't be seen until he has no choice."

Sisko appeared to think about that for a moment. "Thank you for your observations. I will keep them in mind. But I do recommend staying out of it. It will likely get complicated."

Harry nodded. "Sorry for sticking my nose in – I tend to be intrusive. But now I know it's not my business." Unless Dukat showed up and he could come up a way to kill the man without being blamed, Harry had no opinion about the Cardassians other than they were a very strange people.

Killing Dukat was, in Harry's opinion, not necessary but it was desirable: The man had been working under the orders of his government and, despite Harry feeling the need to protect his elves' freedom, Dukat had not threatened their health. He had hired others to retrieve them. The Klingon bitches had been taken care of, but Dukat still needed to pay a price in his opinion.

Cold-blooded murder was different than killing to protect which is why the man hadn't died yet. The moment he was declared an enemy, Harry would act with dispatch. Until then, he would be on the other side of anything the man wanted.

If he was being honest with himself, his reticence to act had much to do with Kai Opaka: Before leaving, she had admonished him about not involving himself too quickly or changing too much. Dukat and that Vedek, Winn, were on his radar but he wouldn't act until matters were clear.

Whatever the situation was, it was resolved without Harry's further involvement.

* * *

Harry was checking in with Lars. "How are things there?"

Lars grinned. "How would you like to take delivery of the BSS Bruce?"

Harry's eyes lit up. "It's ready?"

"No." Harry's enthusiasm waned. "But it is as completed as it can be without your assistance with our modifications." Harry's interest came back a bit. "Honestly? We need your help to implement the wards and enchantments."

Harry was actually quite interested. "I wasn't planning on coming back to the Sol system for a couple of months. That's when the basic enchantments will need to be charged on the Griffon. Right?"

Lars nodded. "That's when the keep will be fully laid out. The Bruce is tiny, by comparison, and most of it was taken care of at Utopia Planetia. We only moved it to Beth's Place a week ago and we docked it to replace a few plates which had the right sequences etched in."

Harry was excited. "How does she look?"

Lars' smile widened slowly and he said, "For the Starship equivalent of a diplomatic yacht? She's a beauty."

Harry was torn. "I don't know what to do."

Lars said, "Well, I say: Let us bring it to you. Krim is overseeing security on this place and Fergus will be arriving in two weeks; we've got a whole list of things the Lads want to consult with him on. But I can come out with a skeleton crew and Starfleet is willing to provide an escort."

Harry sighed. "We need crew members. I haven't gotten enough people together."

Lars nodded. "Well, Krim will be on the Griffon eventually. Fergus will be your Chief Engineer. I'm contemplating asking the King to allow me to be Chief Engineer on Griffon because a lot of it I planned and I oversaw the building."

"It will be up to you." Harry paused. "How is Rebecca?"

Lars sighed privately but smiled physically. "Rebecca has returned to duty. She's also found herself someone she really likes."

Harry didn't know what he thought of that but he had to admit that he and Rebecca had not been serious. "Oh? Anyone I know?" Lars was hesitant to answer and so Harry said, "We really were only amusing each other. If she found someone, I will be more than happy."

Lars let out a breath. "Okay. She took a shine to Krim Aldos."

Harry laughed a bit. "Really? Krim?"

"Yes," Lars replied.

Harry laughed some more. "The man who was championing the anti-Human movement is now involved with a Human. That's just precious." Harry asked, "How has Krim been?"

Lars grinned. "Just as paranoid as ever but he's turned back a few reporters and others trying to sneak in, so everyone appreciates his work ethic."

"Others?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Lars sighed. "Some people refused to say who they were working for but were prevented before committing an actual crime. They were put on a watch list. They could be working for anyone, even the Federation. Though King Charles has been keeping those who _have_ to be told apprised, there are people who _want_ to know and have been denied."

Harry huffed. "I really think this ship needs to finish. It will need to be available for large scale humanitarian efforts, but I think it will be needed for defense. There's a storm brewing out here. This Dominion has gotten me worried, not to mention the Cardassian military which seems to feel they were unfairly made to give up their toy by the bleeding heart civilians. They repeatedly offer to take back control."

Lars said, "You can't be serious!"

Harry sighed. "I am. And the worst part? They honestly think that enforcing their control is better for Bajorans and that anyone who doesn't agree is short-sighted or delusional."

Lars said, "It's hard to imagine."

Harry nodded. "And then you have the security chief here, Odo. He's a good guy, but the idea of working with others isn't his strong point. He's all about 'Justice' and 'Following the Law' – individual rights are a secondary concern."

"So he's a bastard," Lars commented.

"No. He really thinks that Sisko is naïve and the Federation is too soft. He's in charge of keeping people safe and as far as he's concerned, a regimented access which might infringe on individual rights is an acceptable price to pay. He thinks Humanoids are too enamored with the idea of individual interests/pleasures. He doesn't understand the need." Harry really couldn't explain it better.

Lars shrugged. "Well, as long as he follows the rules, everything should be fine."

"Okay. So: How long until the Bruce arrives?" Harry asked.

Lars considered. "Well, we've got some crew members from Starfleet with the proviso they sign the secrecy agreements. They're younger and have a bit of wanderlust, but we're not looking for people wanting to settle down. King Charles also suggested looking for people who retired from Starfleet or were forced out due to idealogical differences. We've got a couple that way, but final approval will lie with you for the Bruce at least. We have been trying to get you the best. We even were looking into an Admiral's son who was kicked out."

Harry asked curiously, "What did he do?"

"He was responsible for an accident. Originally he was cleared because of false reports, but then he fessed up when the guilt got too much. And instead of busting him back down and rehabilitating him, they kicked him out. He's disappeared, but we're keeping an eye out."

Harry considered that. "I can buy that: He did commit the crime but confessed after he already got away with it; which means he's basically a good man."

Lars said, "That's right. That's what we're looking for: Basically good people who are willing to buck the system if necessary." He paused. "Someone else does seem to be snapping them up as there are less available than we expected. And there are people who have asked about the ones we've gotten. We politely tell them that they are already employed."

Harry was dubious. "What kind of people are they?"

"We don't know. But hiring people leaving Starfleet is a popular past time for people searching for talent, so it's not that unusual. Specifically looking for the ones who left for ideological differences but are still good people … that's where we thought we'd have a freer hand."

Harry nodded. "What about the ones we don't think are good people? Are they being snapped up too?"

Lars paused. "Something the check out. My report to King Charles will ask that question." Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "We'll take the Bruce out within a few days. It should take no longer than a month to arrive. We'll check in from time to time on the way."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. I look forward to polishing our new systems up with you."

"Anything else, Sir Harry?" Lars asked.

"No. Potter, Off."

* * *

Things moved as well as they could over the next weeks.

Harry continued his work, checking in regularly with Lars and with Fergus. Fergus arrived after three weeks and was promptly sent off by Prince William to Krim Aldos at Beth's Place. The engineer was quite excited to see the project he had only heard about.

Harry had taken some time off when Dax's Klingon friends had arrived. All were effectively retired but still felt the call of service, despite their great age. Each had confronted their aging differently: Kang had immersed himself into studying the political, diplomatic, and military ebbs and flows of the galaxies. Such was the true reason he had come to Deep Space 9.

Harry was still quite impressed with the man and asked if he was willing to work on a project that would be coming. Harry had the idea of having the old Klingon as something of a Commander Air Group for the Griffon. Kang was cagey about saying yes without more details.

Koloth spent his time on personal betterment and griping. He was at ends and didn't know how to adapt otherwise. Harry was of two minds about him.

Kor had become a bit lost in the past, and also too fond of drink. It was amusing at first but Harry saw how it pained Jadzia to see the man lose himself in that way. Harry considered him far too hotheaded to be put in charge of anything; even if he would be the first choice for any Gryffindor-like move which had a chance of ending in a noble death. That seemed just up Kor's alley.

Harry knew that getting one of them meant getting all of them. He would brood about that when he had time.

That wasn't to say that he didn't enjoy the party Jadzia threw for them before they left again. All three had quite enjoyed the spirits Harry had provided Dax for a modest price. Harry had even thrown in on of his precious bottles of firewhisky.

* * *

Harry and his two Elves were excited as they made their way to ops.

When he entered, the people there looked over. Major Kira said, "You've come to watch their arrival."

"Yes. I haven't seen the ship in detail, only schematics and systems reports. And while I'll see it out the windows later, I wanted to see it on the screens and transport over – if that's okay."

Major Kira chuckled. "That's fine. I was told to be accommodating."

Dax looked at Harry and ask, "Excited?"

Harry grinned. "Damn skippy."

There was a pause. "Damn skippy?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Old Earth exclamation of excited and happy agreement, implying it makes you want to skip around."

"Skip?" Dax asked with a smile.

"Oh, Lord." Harry was embarrassed but momentarily skipped around. "Human children do it when very happy …."

Dax smirked. "I knew that. I just want to see you explain it." Harry gave her a filthy look.

Major Kira volunteered, "I didn't know it." Her tone was reconciliatory.

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you." He shook his head. "I sometimes forget my slang is centuries out of date. You people can be … clueless."

Dax replied, "Relying on Universal Translators is not always good for diplomatic work. I studied far more of English than most non-Humans. I just enjoy making fun of your archaic speech patterns."

Major Kira added, "I always take note of things you say and look them up or ask the elves later."

Dobby said, "Sometimes we have to look things up too."

Harry was about to comment when Dax called out, "Ship just dropped to impulse at the edge of the system. It reads as Federation."

Harry asked, "Can I see it?"

Dax pushed a few buttons and the screen appeared. Harry looked at it for a long moment. "She's beautiful!"

The ship was not very large but looked quite like a miniature Intrepid class rather than a Nova. She said, "I haven't seen one like that."

Harry smirked. "Starfleet approved a smaller ship for me to own/run under my diplomatic status. I liked the look of the Intrepid but the size of the Nova class. Lars Dresbach, you might remember him from his visit, made some changes and that's what happened. It's got the aesthetics of the larger ship, still has the weapons and defenses, can still land, but doesn't look like a big toy the way I thought the Nova does."

Dax moved a few controls and some of the features came into focus. "It is a nice looking ship. How fast can she go?"

"She's rated for Warp 8.5, like the Nova, but we've made a few modifications. Lars brought her here to finalize a few things."

Kira asked, "What's the name of the ship?"

Harry smiled, "She's a diplomatic yacht, effectively, registered as the BSS – that's Britannic Star Ship – BSS Bruce, named after a King of Scotland named Robert the Bruce."

Dax asked, "What is 'the Bruce'?"

Harry laughed. "His family name was de Brus – old French for 'of Brus', which was an area the family was from. When Robert took the Kingship, he was known as Robert the Bruce, was known for centuries afterwards by the name. The Order of the Thistle was created by a later King who claimed he was just restarting an order of chivalry created by Robert the Bruce: Unlikely, but possible. King Charles thought it a respectable name for a ship owned by a Knight of the Thistle."

Major Kira said, "She's hailing."


	25. Familiarization

Lars was quite excited to show Sir Harry around the Bruce.

"It's not as different from a standard Nova as I thought it would be."

"We got it a bit more rounded, but the shape was somewhat defined by how tight we could make the warp bubble," Lars explained.

Harry considered that. What he had learned of warp engines, the shape did have some bearing. The small size meant smaller engines could be used. "Still, I like that it's closer to a miniature Intrepid. I really liked the look of that ship."

Lars shrugged. "For a science vessel, it's fine. Doesn't intimidate much."

Harry glanced around and said quietly, "That's what the Griffon is for."

Lars grinned. "I still can't believe we got permission for that project and that King Charles was so gung-ho about it."

Harry shrugged. "I used up a lot of the favors I got for bringing back hundreds, possibly thousands, of extinct species. I was expecting it to be shut down at some point but Dobby's ability to break that block pretty much guaranteed the funding." As long as they were provided small neutronium parts for more efficient warp engines and other vital elements, the Federation pretty much ignored them them 'playing around' with manufacturing a ship from Earth's past entertainment.

Lars pointed out, "Your knowledge of how to form the material made it all possible."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for helping me build the apparatus to change it over and back. It's a monstrosity, but it worked."

"It was fun." Lars turned a bit pensive. "I would have loved to have been born a wizard in your society."

"I know. You would have made an excellent ward crafter or enchanter. But then again, you wouldn't have had the computer to help do the calculations on exactly what rune strings to use."

Lars actually winced at that. "Good point. A lot of what I've come up with is based on translating my ideas into the computer's understanding of runes based on the library you entered in."

"It's seems to work Everything you've come up with has worked so far."

"So _far_," Lars repeated, pointing out that there was no guarantee. The two men got to the next deck and Harry peered at the signs as they walked down the corridor.

Harry noted, "There's a lot of VIP Quarters."

Lars shrugged. "The general reason you're going to be moving around is talking to or consulting with important people. You're a businessman and a diplomat. You're going to have to play nice with people and we took that into account."

Harry huffed. Lars had a point. "How many crew?"

"You'll need either ten or so and regular maintenance here or at a Starbase or 20 or so if you don't intend to stay in port regularly," Lars surmised. "I'm hoping the need for maintenance goes down with what we've come up with. I'd like to start charging them up."

Harry nodded. "When are we going to start on those?"

"Once you verify my work on the ward schemes. We can start tomorrow even."

Harry smirked. "This is going to be fun."

Lars' smirk mirrored Harry's. "I agree."

Harry nodded toward the corridor off to the side. "That way to the shuttle?"

"That's your Aeroshuttle. Nova-classes normally have Waveriders, but they stick out. We had to sacrifice what would have been lab-space on a Nova to get it fully inside the ship, but it worked."

Harry peered down the hall. "I saw the specs during my review. If we had more time I'd want to take it out. But can we go see the inside?"

Lars and Harry went down and they ran into one of the crewmembers working. "This is Lt. Jessica Simpson." Harry nodded. "She and Ensign Roger Strawls are actually Starfleet."

Harry was curious. "Nice to meet you, Lt." The fairly attractive brunette nodded back. "Why Starfleet?"

Lars sighed. "The shields use Federation technology not available outside of Starfleet normally. The idea is that the Starfleet personnel can make certain it's installed, maintained, and kept secure."

Simpson, who had been standing by, spoke up. "Technically, we answer to Commander Sisko and Deep Space 9 for fleet-related matters. But we are not allowed to inform Station personnel of what we know of this ship, where it goes, or anything else. As you have diplomatic status, we aren't even allowed to report things that might be considered illegal or questionable though we can file a protest to the ship's Captain like any crew member might."

Harry considered that. "Well thank you for explaining. I don't intend to do illegal things, though Federation law sometimes does annoy me. You do realize, for example, that I am not bound by the Prime Directive?"

Simpson said calmly, "Dresbach here mentioned that and, after reviewing the law, Strawls and I had to concede he was correct."

Harry smiled kindly. "Okay. I don't plan to violate it, but I may act where a Starfleet Captain might be prevented. As long as you understand and don't sabotage me, everything is fine."

"Of course, Sir," Simpson stated.

Harry winced. "Sir Harry. I suppose Captain Potter is something I'll have to accept."

Lars said, "Or you can get someone else to Captain and just be the boss."

Harry laughed. "I'll think about it." He was actually pretty decent at leading people but a knowledgeable Captain could be good.

The two men got to the Aeroshuttle and Lars showed Harry around. "It's nice. Not as roomy as a Danube-class."

Lars replied, "It can't hold as many people. It's effectively a fast shuttle."

"Does it have a name?"

"NCC 73799 is the Naval Construction Number for the Bruce. Because it's made for this ship specifically, it uses the number NCC73299A. The name is … well, it wasn't given one really."

"So even though it's technically powerful enough to be its own ship – it can run at Warp 5 like the Danube-class – it isn't really treated as such."

Lars parsed that in his head and said. "Right."

Harry considered it. "Okay. I'll call it the Ravenclaw. I can enter that into the Bruce's registry, right?"

"Yes." Lars paused. "Why Ravenclaw?"

Harry smiled. "Well, I know it's not used anywhere else. When we name the Captain's shuttle on Griffon, that will be Gryffindor. And if we can make two more they can be Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Those four names are related to the school I went to. I was a Gryffindor."

"Why not name you personal ship's shuttle the Gryffindor then?"

Harry shrugged. "I want to leave that for Griffon. There aren't many names I've used from my own society, and for the most part I'm fine with that. Still, something to remind me where I'm from is good. So my Captain's Runabout will be the Ravenclaw."

Lars nodded. They finished checking out the runabout and continued on the walk through. Lars was curious. "Why didn't you name your own ship from your society then?"

Harry asked, "You mean the Bruce?" Lars nodded. Harry considered that and then shrugged. "Didn't seem that important, actually. People will see the Bruce, talk about it. I'd rather they not get caught up in the name. They can easily find references to Robert the Bruce in any database. If I used names like Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, people might get caught up with why I named them that. It emphasizes me being different a bit too much."

Lars said, "So you _did_ have a good reason to not name if for something 'magical'."

Harry replied, "I suppose I did."

They continued on the tour.

* * *

The next day, the crew of the Bruce assisted Harry and Lars in capturing one of the magical sinks that Harry had created.

Lars checked the screens. "We've got it. Opening the hatch," he waited as the rock came closer and finally said, "now!"

Harry sat in the Captain's chair and said, "Let me know when it's inside, Dawkins."

"Aye, Cap'n," the older veteran of the Merchant Service drawled. William "Bill" Dawkins had semi-retired and moved home to raise his children with his wife. After the children were grown, the couple had split amicably and Dawkins, experienced on cargo transports, went looking for a new job. King Charles was happy to get him.

The most amusing aspect of his being hired was that when he was asked if he knew anyone else who might want to sign up, bill had recommended hiring his ex-wife Cheryl Dawkins nee Larrabee as the Ship's nurse. Cheryl Dawkins, interning under Julian Bashir to get experience in handling different races as it had been a while since Cheryl had dealt with non-Humans in an infirmary or sickbay, had been a great find. She had been just as interested in feeling useful after her last child went into Starfleet. The two parents enjoyed bickering with each other in a friendly fashion and amusing themselves with trying to set up the other with someone available.

When Prince William had contacted Sarah Dawkins as a character reference, her immediate questions had been quite interesting.

"My parents are signing up to be on the same ship?" she had asked almost emotionlessly.

William had replied, "Yes. Your father will be in operations and your mother will be the Ship's nurse."

Sarah's tone was worried when she asked, "Are they coming in as a couple?"

William didn't think it was his place to explain but he wasn't going to lie either. "No," he said with faint regret.

Sarah's immediate answer to that had surprised him. "Oh, thank whatever god or gods might exist. I'm soooo happy to hear that."

William was floored. "This isn't a surprise?"

"Oh, no," Sarah said matter-of-factly. "They made a promise to stay together long enough to raise me and my brother because they come from conservative roots. But I knew by the time I was ten that they should never have married. They admitted they had made a mistake but both loved me and my older brother, Sam, and neither wanted to miss out on raising us. Sam and I made very certain we were as ready as we could be to leave home soonest so they could stop living together." There was a pause. "Being on the same ship might be them being too close still."

William had an answer to that. "No. They seem to be getting along fine. Your mother is trying to set your father up with another woman she met at the space port and your father was quite friendly with the man she was on a date with. If I didn't know they had been married, I would have thought they were friends or even cousins."

Sarah laughed. "I can see that. Just tell whoever is over them that they like to bicker. Don't take it too seriously but if they get too vicious, bop them on the head, figuratively of course."

William was amused as he said, "I'll pass your recommendations along."

And so crewman Dawkins was overseeing the recovery of the stone from where Harry had placed it.

From his position at Engineering Lars asked, "Why did you put it out here in the asteroid field?"

"I didn't want to leave them on the station. And they are just rocks – the asteroid belt made sense to me."

George Martinez, the main Astrogation Officer (navigator/pilot), wanted to argue – he was the one who had to maneuver around a bunch of rocks – but he kept his mouth shut. His new boss seemed the decent sort, but with strange ideas.

* * *

Lars was looking at the rock. "You have a few of these in the belt?" Harry nodded. "Why this one then?"

Harry considered how to answer that. "When I realized I needed magical sinks, I had to find a good source of them. Normally, my people used basalt or granite, both being the product of magma cooling. They have a lot of silica and some iron and somehow it works. Quartz is even better for storing but is less stable and discharges more easily. Obsidian is a little better, but granite and basalt are our normal ward stones."

Lars asked, "What's the difference?"

"Granite is faster charging and faster discharging. Basalt is slower to charge but makes wards that are … less mutable. They're the kind of wards that are bulwarks against threats. But they take _forever_ to charge. I had a number of different rocks gathered on Bajor and I even found a couple of rocks out here. Carved out the proper runes and then decided to put them into set locations.

"When I realized I was going to need to charge a number of runic schemes, I came out and found what seems to be a magically active area of the asteroid belt of Bajor. I started them charging, marked their locations, and left them here save the one I sent off to Sol with Fergus."

Lars asked, "So they're fully charged?" with some excitement.

Harry chuckled. "Don't know. Until I actually test them, I don't even know if it worked."

Lars checked the scanners. "The stone does read slightly odd. It isn't as easy to read it as other stones around it."

Harry nodded. "Good sign."

* * *

Harry had asked for an empty large bin in the bowels of the ship to place the charged stone. It was tied in minimally to the ships systems but it was a part of the contiguous frame.

Part of the work would require shaping the bay's stone to follow the contour of the rock already shaped to the bottom of the bin. Normally, one put a warding stone in a treated mortar into the foundation. Harry had the mortar mix ingredients save the vials of his own blood which would be mixed in.

Blood in a mortar mix was old magic and had not been commonly done for several centuries. The reason it had fallen out of use had not been that it wasn't effective. Different moralities had set in as Christianity spread and the sacrifice of blood had become a "dark" technique. If modern medicine hadn't made it so easy to gather, it would still might be dark. But it was the blood and not the act of gathering which made it magical.

The Potter Grimoire had been very clear about the effectiveness of blood as a component in the mortar.

Something Harry had decided to add into the mortar as well was a small amount of bio-neural gel. It could be completely ineffective, it could have a negative effect, but a quick diagnostic spell had indicated the substance might just be conducive to magical effects.

According to Starfleet, the gel would become useless if it was exposed to air. Being useless for computing was not Harry's concern. He was almost hoping his ship could gain sentience like a version of Mr. Weasley's car. He had heard of Federation ships having such effects and Harry deemed the use of gel circuitry made it more likely.

Harry Potter intended to treat his ship like a well-loved friend as much as possible.

* * *

It was early and Harry was overseeing the Bajoran mason who was knocking down a few high points in the stone bedding for his charging stone. Lars, having taken the measurements of the stone, had replicated a mold for the mason to check against.

The stone mason would put the light mold on the bed, and then carefully mark where the stone was high. After taking the mold, the mason would use a chisel and hammer to knock it back.

The mason finally asked, "Why are we doing it this way rather than using modern rock cutters which could melt the high points away?"

Harry considered how to answer that. "Why do you still use a hammer and chisel?"

The mason smiled. "I work on traditional creations meant to acknowledge the Prophets. Those that hire me feel traditional methods are more respectful."

Harry smiled and said, "I have similar feelings."

The stonemason shrugged. He had no cause to complain – he was being paid well to do the job.

* * *

Lars finished putting the tools together. "Okay. Let me tell you, finding natural occurrences of these materials wasn't as easy as you'd think. I almost had a fight with a Park Ranger when I showed up with legal permission to mine some lime for the mortar mix. She thought I was desecrating the place."

Harry said, "Well, I appreciate the work. I don't _know_ that I had to have all natural ingredients. But my family's notes were specific. I'm already futzing around by adding a vial of that." He motioned toward the gel.

Lars shook his head. "You magicking gel out of the pack was unnecessary. You should have let me use a medical transporter."

Harry said, "You know how much I asked that the various things be transported as little as possible. Theoretically, it's the same. But transporters, replicators, and other similar technology seem to have wonky affects on magic. I had to be pretty precise to get a replicator to work how I needed it. There's a reason I asked you to use a shuttle and fly to collect the ingredients instead of using transporters."

"But using that switch spell …"

"Switching spell," Harry corrected.

"… switching swell was fine?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm hoping for the best."

Lars looked at the tools fully laid out. "And you have to do this manually?"

Harry nodded morosely. "And I can't even get anyone to help. It's got to be mixed by a wizard and it's got to be done using a bucket and hand tools."

"Even your elves can't help?"

Harry shrugged. "The instructions don't discount it but I'm already making a small change with the small amount of gel I'm adding." He picked up the shovel. "I _am_ using a replicated shovel though," Harry said with some humor.

"Because the book says the tool doesn't matter," Lars said while barely keeping himself from rolling his eyes.

"Because the book says 'any shovel will do'," Harry corrected with a small grin.

"Okay. Well, have fun."

Harry sighed and got to work. In the end, it was easier than he had expected: His quidditch workouts had given his arms and back some added strength and mixing was a simple process.

Lars, who had been watching, looked at the product. "It looks like the computer says mortar should look."

Harry nodded and he dumped the mix into the bay. Using a trowel, he carefully covered the entire surface of where the rock would land and, once done, stepped back. "How does it look do you think?"

Lars peered at it. "There's a small ripple there."

Harry looked, saw the small air bubble in the mortar bed, and fixed it. "I doubt that will make a difference. But just in case: Thanks."

Lars nodded. "Looks good."

Harry put the tools aside and after a few breaths to center himself Harry and Lars carefully used the mechanical winch they had replicated to place the stone. In this case, Harry could not use magic because it was a charged stoned: He didn't want to take any chances other than the tractor beam he had already used the day before. It wasn't easy, but the two men got the stone placed.

Harry then used his trowel to clean up the mortar joints and make it nice and clean, or as nice and clean as possible. When he was done, he stepped back. "Okay. How does it look?"

Lars inspected it. "It looks like stonework and much messier than using modern tools."

Harry shrugged. "Just following directions." He raised his voice. "Dobby!" The elf popped in. "Clean up time, Dobs. Vanish the excess mortar – it has some blood in it."

"Yes, Master Harry. I will ensure it is all cleaned up." Dobby snapped his fingers and vanished the mortar that was sticking to the bucket and then made certain the area was cleaned fully. He did stop at one point and peer at the rock in the bay.

"What is it, Dobby?" Harry asked with some concern.

Dobby considered the ward stone for another moment and then said, "It does give off a feeling of _home_."

Harry let out a loud "whoop!" and then looked at Lars. "It worked! By Merlin's balls, it worked!"

Lars asked, "You're that excited over your elf saying it feels like home?"

Harry grinned. "Yes! Because Elves are very sensitive to the wards of a magical home and Dobby is bonded with me. If it feels like home to him, the magical aspect is set. We can start tying wards in as soon as the mortar sets."

"How long?" Lars asked.

"Two days to be safe."

* * *

Harry spent the next two days finalizing the wards schemes to make the Marauder's Map work on the Bruce. The Bruce used neural-gel circuitry and Lars had also brought his computer. The modifications to identify visitors by species was complete.

In fact, the runic script for this function alone ended up being longer than all other runic applications combined. Harry's replicator which had been designed to use a set source for material allowed the gold-lettered runic script (then converted back to neutronium) to be put into a single "page". The plates containing the runes were about six inches square and had been shaped to be installed in hidden places on the ship. The plates followed the curvature of the installation locations.

And two days later, when Harry activated the connection to the Bruce's central wardstone, the Marauder's Map came alive.

Harry had opted to make large maps of parchment which showed the entire ship in the default mode. It meant different sections for different decks. But when it was done, it covered a wall of the Captain's ready-room (very small due to the ship's size).

Another copy was in the security office (currently unoccupied). Knowing that cameras could monitor the map and correlate it to the information it had recorded, Harry had set the Security Chief's copy to be monitored by camera and for unauthorized personnel to be immediately found and tracked.

Comm badges used by the non-Starfleet crew were in the shape of the badges of the Scottish Guard from Harry's time. Harry's was in the shape of the badge he received when made a Knight of the Thistle.

Harry had to overcome some reticence to allow his badge to be logged into the Deep Space 9 comm system. When he activated his badge and if he wanted it to be through Deep Space 9, he had to say, "DS9. Potter to," whoever he was trying to reach. If he didn't specify, he would be connecting to his ship. He didn't argue about it because he recognized that it was a concession. Other non-station personnel didn't have access to the comm. system so easily.

* * *

Harry gathered the crew. "Okay. Hello. I know I haven't sat down with each of you, but I am Sir Harry Potter of Great Britain and you all work for me. Or at least work for King Charles and answer to me. As you were told by Lars here," he pointed to the Royal Engineer on load to the Bruce, "I'm a wizard from another Earth – early twenty-first century. In the next weeks, I am going to initiate several magical effects. We're going to show you the first one. This way." He brought them all to the Security Office.

"Take a look at the wall in there. Especially the area marking this office."

Harry waited until they were inside and then nodded to Lars. "Give them a few seconds to find us …" He changed to a ferret and rushed down the corridor, then changing back. He then called Dobby and Winky to him.

Pretty quickly, crew members came out to verify and saw Harry and the Elves down the corridor.

"How?" one asked Lars.

Lars motioned to Harry and he changed back to a ferret and ran back.

He changed over and the watching crew members were shocked. "I did that to show you that skill – it's something that I can do because I'm a wizard and Constable Odo can do because he's a shape-shifter – and because I wanted to prove that the _map doesn't lie_. I had a map of my school made by my father and I was burned twice because I didn't trust it. The _map doesn't lie_."

Cheryl Grisham, the nurse, asked, "Why is that important to remember?"

Harry paused. "I don't know if it will be vital. But it's better safe than sorry. Did anyone notice the difference in color when the elves appeared?" One crewman had. "I changed what my father and his friends did to reflect a recognition of different races. Black is Human, the elves were a muted black. I haven't actually had other races visit yet but there are a whole host of colors. If the map doesn't know the race, it will show them as pink. Some colors are obvious, less as a function of how much we like them and more to make sure it's noticeable when they appear. Cardassians show up as bright blue, for example. Odo, the security chief, should show up as a goldenrod."

Bill Dawkins asked, "Why is that important?"

Harry grinned. "I'll want him to try to infiltrate us as practice for the crew. I want my crew to react well to different circumstances so we're going to have to practice." He paused and asked Lars. "Are the Tribble protocols active?"

With regret Lars said, "I haven't installed them. I have to program the differences between the Tribble and the Bruce. But the equipment is installed so it won't take too long once I have time to concentrate on it."

Sal Ramirez, in charge of the Steward department, asked, "Tribble Protocols?"

Harry answered, "The USS Tribble. A Miranda-class ship." He was trying to remain serious.

Simpson said, "I've never heard of a USS Tribble. I only heard of tribbles from stories from Kirk's Enterprise." There were murmurs of agreement.

Harry looked at Lars. "Should we show them the USS Tribble?"

Lars said, "Nurse Cheryl probably needs to know – she'll have to handle anyone who runs afoul of the system."

"Good point." He looked at the crew. "We're going to the holo-deck." He paused. "Damn! I didn't even think of that!"

"Think of what?" Lars asked.

"I won't have to pay Quark to use his holo-deck all the time! I'm going to save a whole bunch of latinum!"


	26. And so it Begins

Harry Potter and Lars Dresbach worked hard for several days to complete the warding schemes that had been designed for the Bruce.

One area of difficulty they had was integrating the runic schemes on the Ravenclaw with the wards on the Bruce. As far as the wards were concerned, the Ravenclaw was a different entity. When they attempted to tie in the protections when it was within a certain radius, the ward scheme on the runabout interfered with the wards on the ship from identifying the passengers.

In the end, the runic series on the Ravenclaw had to be programmed to shut down when it was within ten meters of the Bruce. Because Harry wanted to make the shuttle available for others to fly it, requiring a magical user to turn on and off the ward schemes was inefficient.

Harry did not want to sacrifice the ability to read the inhabitants of any shuttle coming in. When a shuttle landed, the Marauder's Map showed the names appearing at the edge of the drawing and traveling in, similar to how people on brooms showed up on the Hogwarts map.

In fact, the people on the shuttle were designated as broom flyers because Harry did not want to rewrite the runes originally used for the Marauder's Map. But it was amusing seeing the names of shuttle passengers overlain with a crude drawing of a broom until they actually stepped out of the shuttle.

The warp engines for the Aeroshuttle were supposed to be limited to Warp 5, just as the Bruce was theoretically limited to Warp 8 (though Lars had already bumped that to 8.5 before it had arrived). The runic schemes reduced the interaction of particles between the ship, subspace, and normal space.

The Bussard collectors worked mainly when the ship was at impulse power within a star system. When a ship was at warp, it was in a subspace bubble. The primary and secondary deflector dishes were designed to put out a field which "pushed" interstellar particles away so as not to hit the ship.

The warp field allowed the ship to travel at the lowest levels of subspace so as not to be limited by the physics of the "real" universe. There was still a push of plasma particles to drive the ship forward.

Reducing the speed reduced the number of particles pushed out, thus the Warp 5 limit. Because of the nature of subspace, there was a "bleed over" between subspace and real space. The plasma particles, given enough time, would eventually be disgorged and instabilities would reduce. Unfortunately, the normal dispersion took hundreds or thousands of years.

This was why repeated warp travel, especially at high speed, tended to erode the barriers between subspace and real space: The pressure of particles was too high because there were too many.

* * *

Harry was sitting in the Captain's chair. "Okay, George. Set course for Prophet's Landing, Warp 2."

"Warp 2, Aye."

Lars was curious. "Warp 2, Captain?" Harry had finally agreed to be called "Captain" when the ship was underway.

"We're just testing the systems and it's not that far at warp. We can also speed up when we're sure how our test is working."

Lars had to admit that was correct. "Of course."

After twenty minutes Harry asked, "How are the Deuterium levels, Dawkins?"

"Tanks read at 80 percent, Cap'n." Dawkins almost pugnaciously kept his original accent from North America. It was a point of pride for the community he grew up in.

"80 percent? How close to 80?" he asked.

Dawkins checked his readings. "80.1."

Harry looked at Lars. "Didn't we start at 79.8, Lars?"

"Yes we did. That was our level when we arrived at Deep Space 9."

"And as far as consumption goes, we use a little bit everyday."

"Yes."

"And yet, somehow, we've got _more_ than we started with?"

Dawkins piped up, "I can explain."

"Okay, Bill. Explain," he said to his Ops officer.

"The Bussard collectors overfilled the storage on the nacelles. When the Bussard collectors are flooded, there's a safety to return the excess to the tanks. That's what happened."

Harry and Lars looked at each other. "What level are the collectors at?" he asked Dawkins.

"Bussard collectors read at 76 percent … 76.4 … 76.7 … 76.8 … steady at 76.8 … 77.0 …"

Harry interrupted. "So we're actually running into a varying amount but we aren't using more than we're collecting?"

"No, Cap'n."

He looked at Lars. "How long until the collector transfers back into the storage tanks?"

"At 97% or higher, it will release 25 percent into the tanks. The Bussard collectors don't have a very large capacity by comparison."

Harry considered that. "So it's not a miracle level of collection."

"No. It's more consistent with the levels of particles found in a stellar system. There's a reason why star ships generally make regular stops: Unless they are on a particularly important mission, the collectors need to collect excess hydrogen regularly. The only time you see the need for regular refueling is … well, war time or massive humanitarian efforts. Ships often provide starbases some of the collected deuterium for local power generation."

Harry had an "aha" moment. "That's why Federation credits are usually based on energy. The Federation needs ships going out and collecting hydrogen all of the time."

Lars shrugged. "Local power collection makes a system far less dependent to be certain. Regular hydrogen is a common fuel planet-side. Deuterium is more efficient because it's easier to create tritium with it and that's what's used in most fusion reactors but it takes effort to gather. Naturally occurring tritium is extremely rare – rare enough that most reactors use deuterium fuel."

Dawkins sounded out, "Bussard collectors at 84%."

Harry was glad for the interruption. "So our little ward scheme is actually collecting fuel at warp. It's slow to affect the fuel amounts in the collectors noticeably but the main tanks would take quite a while to refill."

Lars did some math in his head. "Right."

Harry asked, "What would happen if we increased to Warp 3?"

Lars considered. "Well, normally speaking, the faster the warp the more particles you release. We haven't tested our collectors at different speeds."

"Okay then. Martinez, take us to Warp 3."

Martinez pushed a few buttons, slid a control or two, and then hit another button. "Warp 3, Aye."

"Okay, Dawkins, give me the count on our deuterium collection."

Dawkins read out the numbers. "86 percent … 86.1 … 86.4 … steady at 86.4 … 86.6 … 86.9."

"Okay. So we're collecting at the same speed," Harry observed.

Lars said, "Actually, Captain? No."

"No?"

"No. You're using more particles with an increased speed. That it's increasing at the same level means that you're also collecting more."

Harry considered that. "Drop us out of Warp. Move us at impulse for a few minutes."

The field outside of the ship dropped and there were regular stars. "We are now at full impulse, Captain," Martinez reported.

"Okay. We're out in empty space. Dawkins? Tell me what the Bussard numbers are doing."

Dawkins read the numbers for a long two minutes. Finally he said, "The Bussard numbers are dropping. The drop is consistent with what is normally experienced at impulse outside of a star system. We might be a _little_ bit more efficient at collecting, but overall we are using more fuel than we are collecting."

Harry asked, "Are we still within the normal traffic lanes between Bajor and Prophet's Landing?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Okay. This has been traveled regularly. What happens to our ability to collect if we travel in a direction that's not normally used?"

Lars said, "We should find out, Captain."

"What's a planet within a few hours warp travel that's not commonly visited?"

Martinez was checking the computers. "We can stay out of the normal traffic lanes if we set course for Trill from this location."

"How far away at Warp 5?"

Martinez checked the readouts. "Nine hours, give or take."

Sir Harry grinned. "Thanks. Set course for Trill, Warp 5."

"Warp 5, Aye."

Martinez was getting used to the fact that the Captain/Owner of the Bruce wasn't interested in precise times unless required. When he had tried to give a time as 4.1 hours Sir Harry had said, "Just tell me four hours more or less." Warp speeds were expected to be more precise.

"Dawkins, monitor the collectors and give me a quick analysis when you think you have one."

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Okay, Lars. Let's talk about the notice-me-not wards." Lars and Harry wanted to recreate the wards used to visit Cardassia IV in a runabout.

* * *

They were discussing the easiest way to create an on/off switch which didn't require Harry himself to actually control it. Harry had utilized temporary wards to retrieve the prisoners but hadn't needed to turn them on and off. The Bruce would need to have the ability if Harry was hurt or if he allowed Sisko to use the ship, a distinct possibility.

After a few minutes Dawkins spoke up. "I think I have something."

The Engineer and Knight looked over at the man at Ops. "Okay. What do you have?"

Dawkins turned and said, "Overall, there are enough particles that there is no significant drop or rise when traveling at warp. We did cross two common routes – two lanes used by ships traveling to Cardassian space for trade – and both times there was a short spike in the number of particles collected. It was small enough that it wasn't remarkable but large enough to be distinct when repeated. That's why I waited until I saw it again. But overall? The collectors should work decently at warp but exceptionally well when traveling normal routes."

"Okay. Thanks, Dawkins." He looked around at the few crew. "What does it all mean?"

Martinez commented, "The warp limitations are because high warp causes more troubles. Will this ship be able to travel at higher speeds and yet gather more than it leaves behind?"

Dawkins said, "He's right, Cap'n. Until we test it at higher warp within normal lanes and outside of normal lanes, we don't know."

Lars said, "I agree, Captain Harry." Captain Harry was the compromise between Sir Harry and Captain Potter.

"Okay. Well then, increase speed to Warp 7."

Martinez grinned and said, "Warp 7, Aye!" He started working and soon he called out, "Steady at Warp 7.1."

"That works. Okay, Dawkins. Read out the numbers."

Dawkins checked the screen. "We were at 87.2. 87.6, a small drop, but less than normal. 87.4." He looked up. "Can we move to normal travel lane?"

"Martinez?" Harry asked.

"I can adjust course and have us in a normal warp lane in about … 4 minutes. If we adjust toward Kobliad, we can lay in that groove for half an hour."

"How long would it take to Trill?" Harry asked curiously.

"2 hours at Warp 7."

"Well, adjust course until we're in the normal lanes to Kobliad."

"Aye, Captain."

After a few minutes, Martinez called out, "Adjusting course to 1-0 mark 1-7. Twenty seconds until we're in the groove."

Dawkins called out, "We're already seeing a rise. It got down to 87.1 but is now rising slightly."

Lars asked, "How fast?"

Dawkins read the screen. "We're steady at one percent per minute."

"So we're seven minutes until the collector drops its load into the tanks?"

"Approximately, Captain."

Harry considered that. "When we hit 90 percent, drop seventy-five percent of the collected deuterium into the tanks."

"Aye, Captain."

He turned. "How are the engines, Lars?"

Lars hit a few buttons. "Blake and his three in engineering are reporting that the engines are steady."

Oliver "Ollie" Blake was the man who ran the engine rooms. He had previously served in Starfleet and the Merchant Marines, but his former ship had been bought by a colony which wanted a hand-picked crew from its residents. Blake (and Prince William) had been satisfied that it was not a reflection of poor service.

More crew members had also been hired, each with less experience but decent skill. Margaret Bjornburg and Varun Chahal both had a bit of training but less time on ships, both were using the job as a learning experience. Avi Sharif was the additional Starfleet Ensign in addition to Simpson, who was sleeping as she had been the designated crewmember overnight.

Harry asked, "Are they having any trouble keeping things status green?"

Lars checked the readings. "No. There is remarkably little strain."

"Good." He looked over at Lars. "Is that because of the changes to our warp engines?" Harry was referring to the neutronium components and the magically enhanced magnetic bottles.

Lars thought about it. "Possibly. We need more time to verify though."

"Okay. Well, what are the numbers, Dawkins?"

"We are about forty seconds from 90 percent."

"Okay. Call it out."

A few seconds later Dawkins did. "Bussard collectors at 90 percent; system initiating the delivery of deuterium to the tanks." After a few seconds he called, "Vacuation complete; Bussard collectors at 25 percent; plasma flow to the warp coils steady."

Harry answered, "Well done. What will trigger the tanks delivering fuel?"

"When it drops to ten percent," Dawkins answered.

Although Lars was involved in engineering, he was not the Chief Engineer. That was held by Blake. Dawkins was in charge of the operations of the ship and monitored to make certain things were going well. In a Starfleet ship, duties would be more separated but this was a small crew.

If a firefight broke out, the Starfleet crewmember on duty would be called as both had engineering and weapons training. Shields would cause a drain and the Bussard collectors didn't work when the shield were employed. There was a reason starships didn't run around with shield up all the time.

"What are the main tanks now reading?" Harry asked.

Dawkins pushed a button. "81.4 percent, Cap'n."

"And the Bussard collectors?"

"25.3."

"So we're still collecting."

"We are."

Harry shrugged. "Okay. Well, I have no interest in Kobliad. Adjust course to Trill and decrease speed to Warp 6."

Lars chuckled. "If someone's tracking us they are going to wonder what in the hell we're doing."

Harry shrugged. "I'm sure someone is reading us, but who knows if anyone is noticing?"

Martinez called out, "Course adjusted, Captain. We are now four hours from Trill."

"Kobliad wasn't that far out of line from Trill," Harry observed.

"Not really, Captain."

Lars asked, "Are we going all the way there?"

Harry grinned. "Why not? We can pick up something from home for Dax."

* * *

The ship did make it all the way to Trill. Dawkins was also monitoring communications. "Cap'n Harry. We're being hailed."

"Open the channel."

"This is Trill Orbital Control to Federation Vessel."

Harry smirked. "This is Earth diplomatic vessel BSS Bruce."

"Not Federation?"

"No. It's a bit involved but check your systems for announcements regarding the BSS Bruce."

"Stand by." After a minute the voice came back. "Orbital control to BSS Bruce."

"This is the Bruce, Captain Harry Potter speaking."

"Captain Potter, I did find reference to the Bruce in our system. Your arrival is unexpected. How can we help you?"

"We were testing out a few systems and decided that Trill made an acceptable destination. What is the local time?"

"Orbital control runs on Federation Standard which is 18:34. However, there are many local destinations. Do you have a directory?"

"Do we have a directory for the Trill homeworld, Dawkins?"

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Orbital control, we have a directory in our systems. Is there anything _we_ can do for _you_?"

There was a pause. "The notice states that you are based out of Deep Space 9. Is that correct?"

"Yes. We're going to buy something for a Trill who serves on the station as a surprise and then we plan on going back."

"Acknowledged. There are six passengers waiting for the next available transport to that sector, scheduled to arrive in two days. Do you have room?"

"All Federation?"

"Federation and Bajoran."

"Well, I can get everyone to Deep Space 9. We will be heading back in about two hours."

"Acknowledged. We can alert them and have them ready to beam up at that time."

"That's fine. To be perfectly honest, I prefer to bring the Captain's Runabout, the Ravenclaw, down rather than transport. Are there shops near where the people are waiting?"

"Yes. The local time here is 13:30 or so. If you come down now, there should be at least two hours before the shops close."

"Okay. Give me the coordinates for the landing pads. We will launch in five minutes."

Orbital control gave the coordinates. Only Ramirez wanted to visit the surface, though the crew did take a break. "Okay. If there are any troubles, call on our comm badges. But we'll be back soon."

"Aye, Cap'n," Dawkins replied. He was the current de facto Executive Officer until Harry found someone he wanted to help run the ship. Dawkins had no interest in remaining in charge – he liked the work he did.

Lars also declined acting as the Exec – he was an engineer and was interested in testing the improvements and little else. Harry was now looking for someone but finding someone he trusted wasn't easy.

The crew members William had hired were all good people. The Prince of Wales had made certain that those he was hiring were flexible and accepting of Harry's situation. All respected the fact he was a wizard and that he had earned a Knighthood the hard way.

If there had been any hesitation, William might have hired them for the larger Griffon but would not put them on the Bruce.

Harry had asked Dawkins, who knew a number of people, to look for some people he thought would be trustworthy. The man had started sending out messages.

Harry hoped he could fine someone to work with soon. He just needed the right fit.

* * *

Harry and Ramirez made their way to the Aeroshuttle. After making certain everything was running properly, the shuttle detached.

As Ramirez was mostly watching, Harry had him act as communications. "Open the channel." Ramirez did. "This is the Ravenclaw off of the Bruce to Orbital Control."

"This is Orbital Control."

"On screen," he murmured. The screen turned on and showed two people in Starfleet uniforms. "Hello. Good to actually see you."

The two, a man and a woman and both Trill, smiled. "Good to see you as well. Have you been to Trill before?"

"No," Harry said with amusement. "I've been to Vulcan, Earth, Bajor, and one other place which I'd rather not name. Now that I actually have a ship, I'll be moving around a bit. But this is my first visit here."

"Welcome to Trill," the woman said. "I'm Lt. Siaza Lanirs. This is Lt. Nudeg Rasias."

"Nice to meet you. Oh. This is my Ship's Steward, Sal Ramirez. He's in charge of supplies and taking care of visitors."

Lanirs nodded. "We've designated landing pad 4-2 for your use." Harry entered the information and its location popped up on his screen. "Once you land, there will be signs directing visitors to the local shops, accommodations, and port offices. Call us back if you need any assistance."

"Thank you. Ravenclaw Out."

Harry spent a small amount of money on some local Trill luxuries which he got Sal to store away. Overall, it was a pleasant visit to the surface. When Harry checked in, he was directed to the Port Officer. He walked in.

"I'm looking for Officer Tan?" he said.

"That's me," the woman behind the desk said. "You're Captain Harry Potter of the Bruce?"

"Yes."

She stuck out her hand and they shook. "I've got the six passengers ready. You landed your shuttle rather than using the transporters?"

Harry nodded. "I've got a physiological sensitivity to the use of transporters. I can use them but it's not always pleasant. I use shuttles whenever possible."

The woman nodded. "That happens sometimes." She was being polite as she had been taught that no one actually reacted badly but some people just didn't like transporters and that was fine. In this case she was misinformed. "You have enough room on your shuttle I assume."

"It's an Aeroshuttle – I could carry twelve if needed. Six plus luggage is fine."

"Great. Do you want us to scan the luggage or will you?"

Harry remembered that there was some scanning done of luggage automatically. "Well, we have the standard protocols on the Bruce, but you might as well scan them here too."

Officer Tan nodded and led Harry over to a waiting area. Three Humans, one Vulcan, and two Bajorans were waiting. "Okay. This is Captain Harry Potter and he owns BSS Bruce which is on its way to Deep Space 9. Bring your things this way and we'll get you loaded up on his runabout."

Harry nodded to the group and they all nodded back. Walking outside and collecting Sal, the group walked out to the Ravenclaw. Harry turned. "Okay. This is the Ravenclaw, and she's attached to the Bruce. Realize it's not a Starfleet vessel despite two of its crew members being Starfleet. This is because technically we're a diplomatic vessel – and I'm the diplomat. I am Sir Harry Potter, Knight of the Thistle, which is an Earth thing, specifically a British thing. Sal Ramirez here works for me and he's in charge of keeping you all comfortable. Any questions?"

There was one. One of the two Bajorans asked, "What's the travel time to Bajoran space?"

Harry considered that. "Well, we're doing a few tests which require a faster warp than normal. So you'll all be on Deep Space 9 by the end of the day." There was some surprise as most ships not Starfleet took more time. "Any other questions?" He looked around. "Okay. Check in with Sal with your name and so forth and then go in and make yourself comfortable."

Very soon, all six had entered and Officer Tan verified that everything was fine. "Thank you for bringing them along. It frees up some space a couple of them had been getting bored."

Harry chuckled. "It's fine. Trill was nice to visit. Thanks for the help." Officer Tan nodded and Harry went in and closed the door. Sal was waiting. "Everything set?" Sal gave a positive reply and they soon were taking off.

* * *

Harry got the shuttle landed and, after asking Dobby and Winky to help Sal, he made his way back to the bridge. Everyone was ready (Dawkins had alerted them that the break was over). "Okay. Dawkins, signal Orbital Control that we're off. Martinez, set course for Deep Space 9, Warp 8."

"Aye, Captain," echoed from the two and they got moving.

Lars asked, "Warp 8?"

"We're going to finish testing and we might as well do it on this leg." Lars nodded in acknowledgement.

At their speed, Deep Space 9 was only a short time away. However, halfway there Dawkins reacted to a sound which indicated an alert. "What is it, Dawkins?"

Dawkins read the screen and then soberly reported, "There was an explosion at Deep Space 9; Carsassian Transport Bok'nar; all hands apparently lost. All ships are advised to approach cautiously and wait for instructions."

Harry replied grimly, "Send acknowledgement. Contact Deep Space 9 and inform them that we are arriving in an hour as we are doing a high warp test. Alert them that we have passengers but will comply with all requests to either keep them or drop them at Bajor instead. Inform them that we will be available to assist in whatever manner required."

"Aye, Aye, Captain Harry."

As soon as Dawkins had said 'explosion', Harry's gut had immediately reacted. Recalling something he had seen on a television program he murmured, "And so it begins." Somehow he knew: Now was when things started getting ugly.


	27. The Marauder's Map

A/N: Rest in Peace Aron Eisenberg. Nog was always one of my favorite characters.

* * *

Harry sat in the Captain's chair watching the movements around Deep Space 9.

As expected, they were put asked if they needed immediate docking and, once Harry affirmed they did not, they were asked to hold back. A Bolian freighter was also waiting.

"Cap'n. Deep Space 9 is hailing."

"On screen." Harry saw Sisko's image appear on the screen. "Exciting day, Commander?"

"Sir Harry. Welcome back. I assume you heard?" Sisko asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Yes," Harry replied. "We were doing high warp tests on the Bruce and halfway back we received the alert that went out. Since we were already at Warp 8 and on our way back here we continued on until we reached the system. We can provide assistance if needed."

Sisko nodded. "I don't know that there is anything you can do at the moment but there might be over the next few days as the investigation continues." Sisko paused for a moment. "Despite the fact that you're Human, you are also a somewhat neutral entity. I assume Cardassia will respond to one of their freighters being destroyed. An observer to see how we are responding who can report to them the same might be helpful. Will you be available if called?"

"Certainly. I have a few passengers who had been waiting for transport but I'll wait until the station is calmer before sending them over. I'm going to see if any of the passengers want to be dropped at Bajor. That way I can keep from distracting your people with normal business."

"Acknowledged. We'll have the accident area sectioned off soon so that ships and passengers can use the other bays soon." Harry nodded. "Sisko, Out."

When the screen turned off Harry said, "Stand by people. I'm going to talk to the passengers."

* * *

When Harry spoke to the six waiting in a lounge near the galley, he found half were headed for Bajor (two Bajorans and one Human). The remaining were more than willing to wait.

"Okay then. For the three who will likely disembark in a couple of hours, Mr. Ramirez can help with whatever needed. For those wanting to transport down to Bajor, speak to Mr. Macmillan."

The final member of the crew was Corey Macmillan, a man of Irish roots but no accent that Harry noticed. Harry had to consciously not treat him indifferently or ignore him because the man tended to drift into the background.

Macmillan was maintenance; he took care of things that engineers didn't and also was in charge of transporting. His attitude was that he was a working grunt and as far as he was concerned that was it.

Harry thought the man's name worked against him though he was nothing like Ernest Macmillan from Harry's teenage years. Harry and the Hufflepuffs had always had a slightly distant relationship after Cedric Diggory's death even if no one truly blamed him once the truth was obvious.

Returning to the bridge, Harry told Dawkins to direct Martinez wherever needed to drop off the three. Harry retreated to his ready room and accessed the computer Lars had installed with the magical library.

Harry started working quickly to program the replicator to manufacture the plates needed to get the Map working on Deep Space 9.

Harry had called Lars and they were looking over a holographic representation of the station and the two men were calculating placement for the plates.

They were interrupted by Dawkins' voice. "Bridge to Sir Potter."

Harry hit the panel next to the holographic controls. "Go ahead."

"All three passengers have been placed."

"Okay. Standby." He motioned Lars with his head and the two men exited to the bridge.

* * *

Dawkins, Martinez, and Sharif (engineering station) looked at him. "Computer. Send coordinates of Potter Rock Beta 2 to helm." There was a chirp. Martinez nodded an acknowledgement that he had them. "Set a course there – we're picking it up."

"Aye, Captain."

Lars asked, "For the station?"

"Yes. I need a ward stone to make the map work. There's a reason I made a few."

The engineer asked, "So you've talked to Commander Sisko about installing a Map?"

"No. But I will. The trick will be keeping it from being used to monitor things without cause. Odo would love to track Quark and any associates."

Lars said, "That would violate a number of laws about privacy."

Harry snorted. "Odo is not Starfleet and has no respect for Federation rules on privacy. As far as he is concerned, he could make the station a hundred times safer if he was given free reign to basically go as hard as he thinks is needed."

Lars said, "But a lot of his solutions would offend people."

"Oh, yeah."

Martinez called out, "Captain. We're a hundred thousand kilometers off of the location."

Harry's attention reset to the situation. "Okay." He looked at Lars. "Go to the scanners and find the granite block."

Lars started moving. "Aye, Captain." Harry rolled his eyes. Even as the ship moved closer, Lars read the scans. "Found it."

"Put it on screen." A section of the belt came into focus. "Magnify 4 times." The image came through clearly. "That's it." He looked at Dawkins. "How long until it's in tractor range?"

Dawkins checked his readings. "For something that size we want to be close in. No more than a kilometer, better half that. The Ravenclaw could get closer."

Harry considered it. "No. Let's use the ship's tractor beam. We'll need to let it warm up naturally too. So once we have it, we can leave it on the deck."

Dawkins said, "We're now close enough to lock on the single asteroid."

"Activate tractor beam."

The beam shot out and Harry breathed a sigh of relief when only that rock moved.

At a certain point the main tractor beam passed it off to a cargo tractor beam which brought the stone into the landing deck.

Harry was looking forward to checking it out. "Okay. Set course back to the station."

* * *

Once back, the ship docked and the three passenger left. With the majority of the runes finished there wasn't a huge need to stay on the ship. The crew members were berthed there but they socialized on the station.

Harry was leery of people being brought back for assignations but the crew had been given strict limitations as to where visitors could be. The lockdowns and wards prevented unwanted visitors from going where they were not supposed to. But Harry felt it was even more important now to keep things secure.

Harry was now realizing that owning a ship that wasn't actually moving around was not very efficient. A runabout or small ship stored away was useful, a starship was too much.

The Griffon would actually be easier. Harry wanted that ship to be on active missions. If war didn't break out, the Griffon would be useful for relocation, relief, and humanitarian missions. If war came, the Griffon would be a bulwark of defense.

It would take something pretty extreme for Harry to contemplate being on the side of an attacking force.

Harry knew that once the Griffon was active, it would have to be a Starfleet reserve vessel. It was too powerful and too intimidating to be employed in strictly civilian roles and the Federation would realize the theoretical existence was an actual existence.

He had originally had a romantic notion of holding on to some control. Harry knew that what the ship represented was Federation citizens, like the King, acting with the certainty that preparedness was more than being willing to fight if needed; one also had to have the means. But it couldn't threaten the organization's control.

The ship would piss off the Cardassians because Harry planned on making sure it was based at Bajor. Large scale repairs would take a Starbase but that was okay. The Federation Council (the politicians) would be appalled. Those in the trenches (Starfleet) would appreciate there being a big stick.

Harry knew the Bruce would become much more active as a diplomatic ship when the Griffon was active. People would need to be schmoozed.

* * *

Harry finally felt ready to make his pitch. He contacted Sisko through the comm system. "DS9 Potter to Sisko."

"Go ahead." Sisko sounded tired to Harry's ears.

"I understand that it's late and you've been busy all day, but it would be good if you could visit the Bruce. We're on Pylon 6 of course."

There was a pause and a resigned Sisko replied, "I'm on my way."

Sisko arrived and Harry greeted him. Sisko's face flashed a tight smile. "How can I help you, Sir Harry?"

Harry said, "It's more: How can I help you?"

"Oh?" Sisko asked.

"I would like to invite in to my ship to see something. This explosion is a security issue and there's something I finally got sorted out which could be useful. I'd like you to see it."

Sisko looked like he was going to disagree but finally said, "That would be fine." The two men entered and made their way through, Harry entering his security access as they went. Harry said casually, "Your security access will also allow you access as well."

Sisko actually stopped. "Why?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "This is an Earth diplomatic vessel. And despite the fact that I own it, in an emergency the local Starfleet commander might have need of a small, fast ship. Do remember that the Bruce is powerful for her size, but she is based on the Nova, a science vessel. Still, all things being equal, I decided giving you access would make things easier if there wasn't a lot of time to react."

Sisko gave Harry a long look. "Thank you." Harry nodded and the two men continued on. When they entered the Captain's Ready Room, Sisko looked around. "This is bigger than I expected."

Harry chuckled. "The Bridge is a bit smaller but they made the ready room large; didn't want the Captain to feel claustrophobic I suppose. I actually lost a little space because I wanted the ship more circular than a standard Nova. So this is smaller than standard."

Sisko nodded. "I am impressed. Now," he now looked directly at Harry, "why did you ask me over?"

Harry walked over to a wall and pushed a button. Lars had created a way to cover the map. "Take a look."

Sisko looked at Harry and then peered at what looked to be an older collection of parchment. Suddenly he noticed something. "It shows me standing here," Sisko noted.

"Right. Watch the room." Harry stood up and then walked around. Sisko looked at Harry, looked back at the map, and repeated it.

Sisko said with some amazement, "It shows you moving in _real time_."

Harry nodded. "And because there are only Humans right now, you haven't seen the different colors. I have a copy of this in the Chief of Security Office monitored by a camera. Any anomaly is noted."

Sisko peered at the map for a long minute. "This is amazing. A computer screen I could understand, but to see an image on paper with ink names moving about?"

"It's actually parchment," Harry said with amusement.

Sisko asked, "What's the difference?"

Harry realized that it wasn't the kind of thing that was generally understood in the 24th Century. "Parchment is actually an extremely thin layer of animal-hide. It's not easy to find now but I have a stock that I brought with me."

Sisko's voice had a hint of revulsion. "Animal hide?"

Harry huffed. "Remember – where I'm from we actually eat meat animals. What do you do with the skins of the animals you kill for food? It would be wasteful, almost disrespectful, to just throw anything away. Parchment was just one of the things that animal skins were used for. Leather-making was just one use. We wizards ate a lot of lamb and goat and the skin was used for parchment."

Sisko asked, "Is there a reason you used parchment rather than paper?"

"Easier to enchant," Harry replied. "Paper is a concatenation of wood pulp, parchment pieces are contiguous sheets, or mostly anyway. I suppose if one used the pulp of a wand-tree it might hold magic better, but overall? Parchment can be charmed in ways that paper can't."

Sisko nodded. He then peered at the map again, marveling at it. "What happens if someone is surgically modified to look like another race?" he asked.

Harry smirked. "Remember when I invited staff for a quick tour? You were busy and said you'd visit later, but Odo, Jadzia, and Kira all visited. The map shows them as different. I even asked Odo to change to a rat form and explore. The map showed exactly where he was despite his different form."

Sisko chuckled. "I imagine he wasn't happy to be so easily observed."

Harry's smirk widened. "I didn't inform him. I just told him I was doing a test of the ship's monitoring systems, not what system I was monitoring."

Sisko looked at the maps for a long moment longer. Finally he turned. "You're showing me this for a reason."

Harry nodded. "Now that I've sorted out how to identify the different races, I'm going to make a Marauder's Map for the station."

"Marauder's Map?" Sisko asked.

"My father was in a group of pranksters when he was a teenager. They are the ones who developed this – hard to imagine that it took four teenagers were the first to do this type of thing in a thousand year old school but it's the truth – and I developed their concept a bit further."

Sisko nodded. He motioned to a chair and Harry nodded. Sisko sat down. Harry asked, "You want anything?"

Sisko was about to say no but said, "I think I'd like a drink, whatever is convenient."

Harry grinned. "Dobby!"

The elf appeared. "Master Harry. You called?"

"Please bring us drinks. Johnny Walker, the Black I think." He looked at Sisko. "Do you want ice or no?"

Sisko said, "One cube."

He turned to Dobby. "Single cube for Commander Sisko, normal for me."

"Of course, Master Harry." Dobby popped out.

"That will be a minute – he'll need to get it out of storage." However, even as he finished speaking, a tray appeared with the bottle and two glasses. "Or not."

Both men retrieved their glasses and sipped. Sisko peered at the glass. "This is called Johnny Walker?"

"Johnny Walker Black. It was a popular brand. There were about five or ten different labels they had. Black is a blend of the best whiskies, expensive but reasonably so. Blue was the ridiculously expensive label."

Sisko took another sip. "It _is_ a good whisky." Harry nodded. "Now. I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why get involved?" Sisko asked. At Harry's look he clarified, "The average person who wants to visit worlds and meet new species joins Starfleet. People who are ordinary Federation citizens will live their lives, visit an average of 7.3 worlds, and ignore politics unless it affects them directly. You, however, make yourself a part of the average day of operations. At the same time, you refuse to become Starfleet. Why get involved?"

Harry considered that. "That's a fair question. I suppose it comes from my history. I come from a society where there were truly good and bad people, as well as neutral. To make a difference, one had to actually be involved. Here on the edge of Federation space is the closest thing there is to my home society. Earth?" Harry scoffed. "Earth is full of sheeple. Life is good, people don't experience hardships, and the government doesn't have an 'us or them' mentality. Neither do the people. Do you know how I was greeted when I arrived?"

Sisko replied, "How _were_ you greeted?"

Harry sighed. "I was treated with tremendous respect. The Royal Family dusted off their sense of ceremony to welcome me because I was a Knight. And then, when the King saw that I had brought seeds and plants long since lost to Earth here and now, he didn't try to nationalize it. He didn't use the argument that I owed it to Great Britain and the rest of the Earth to provide what I had brought. Even when he found that the argument could have been made."

"How so?" Sisko asked curiously.

"The reason I have so much, or one of the reasons, is because Queen Elizabeth, an ancestor of Charles, allowed me to manipulate the exchange rate on the wealth I was using. The fixed rate for Galleons to British Pounds was 5 to 1, 1 Galleon 5 Pounds. However, Galleons are gold. And so Elizabeth authorized me to spend the value of my Galleons in Gold – I spent nearly a hundred million pounds whereas I could have legally been obligated to spend only 12 million or so."

"Ten millions sounds like a lot, more than enough for most ventures," Sisko observed.

"Not really. By the time I left, a large manor house near London could cost a couple of million. People without money think ten million means one is rich – it usually means one has to spend a lot more to keep their lifestyle. I had the distinct advantage of knowing how to live without spending much money despite inheriting a huge amount."

Sisko conceded that with a nod as he took another sip of his scotch. Sisko said with tight smile. "From what I've seen, you _do_ enjoy the finer things."

Harry chuckled. "True. I thought I deserved treating myself after my crappy life prior to age 18. And I did have the resources." After the humor rand out his tone became serious again. "Anyway, my point is: No one tried to take advantage of me. Do you know how strange it is to run into a government or officials who don't feel that the average person's possessions should, in the end, belong to or at least be regulated and monitored by the state?"

Sisko replied, "It sounds like you didn't expect that."

"Exactly. I had to almost separate myself fully from my government due to my history, hide myself away. Here? I received honors, governments actually paid me for what I possessed more than fairly, and other than that I pretty much get left alone. Despite my beliefs that people now ignore real threats, I do feel supportive of the society. And so I do what I can to make sure everyone survives."

Sisko said with humor, "So you don't trust the government to recognize threats but you admit that the society is in much better condition. Why do you call Earth residents sheeple?"

Harry shrugged. "It's a name we used for average people who just bought what the government said and ignored threats because they didn't want to have their lives upset. They allow themselves to be herded like sheep. I think that the Federation is too peaceful. For me, for the societies I grew up in, Freedom is bought by the blood of those willing to defend it. We knew one thing to our bones: You only have those rights which you can defend."

Sisko said, "The average citizen should _expect_ a certain amount of protection of their freedoms from those who lead."

Harry snorted. "That's Federation idealism talking. As a Muggle American president once said: 'Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in their bloodstream. It must be fought for, it must be protected, and handed to them to do the same.' Another well known figure said, 'The war for freedom will never be won because the price of freedom is constant vigilance over ourselves and our government.' That's what our history tells us."

Sisko said, "I recognize the second one – that's Eleanor Roosevelt. I don't recognize the first."

"Ronald Reagan – he was president in the 1980s."

"I believe that was after our timelines diverged," Sisko said. Harry nodded. "In a way, I understand what you're saying. I'm stuck with Federation policy – my oath demands I enforce it. If I were in charge the Federation and Cardassia would not be in the treaty as it is."

Harry asked, "Why?"

"To end the fighting between the Federation and the Cardassian Empire, there was a demarcation drawn up and a demilitarized zone set. When we attempted to remove our people, many protested that they had invested their lives, sometimes generations of them, to build a life. They felt they had a right to stay. An addendum was agreed that the people who lived in the DMZ had a right to stay where they had already settled before the treaty. The Federation and the Cardassian Empire are supposed to prevent attacks. But neither side can set a base there to set up closer monitoring to prevent attacks."

"Sounds like a mess. Is it a bad treaty?" Harry asked.

"Some say it is." That was all Sisko was willing to say on that.

Harry considered. "Did the Federation get as much as it gave away?"

Sisko scratched his head at that. "I know there are those who think not. They argue that the Federation gave away too much. But the only people who were interested in the Federation were those fighting. The average Federation citizen ignored the Cardassian conflict. Those who negotiated weren't those who were fighting – it was those who were tired of hearing about it."

Harry asked, "Too far from the action to be affected themselves?" Sisko nodded. "I came late to all of this. I don't know enough to have an opinion. But I do live on Deep Space 9 and I can feel something coming. There's a storm brewing – or maybe more than one. The Cardassian/Federation situation is a problem. The Dominion in the Gamma quadrant I think is a problem. Someone's got to get the fire under control."

Sisko sighed. "And as the Federation representative here, I'm the one who has to carry the firehose."

Harry shrugged. "Well, I can help with the Map. To be truthful, I've already started replicating the parts to get a Map running on Deep Space 9. I have my ship, but it's for my defense and for diplomacy. But if I can help, I will."

Sisko nodded and drained his glass. He stood up. "Thank you for the drink and for the work to help keep the station secure. If there is something else you can help with, I will let you know. And if you need something from me, let me know that too."

"Of course, Commander. Good luck with all of this." The two men shook hands.

It was, perhaps, a tragedy that Harry had not gotten a map working yet as no one was aware of the capture of the man who set the bomb being captured by disguised Cardassian agents.

* * *

The Bruce's crew as it is:

Sir Harry Potter, Commanding; Dobby Potter Captain's Steward; Winky Potter, Captain's Assistant; Lars Dresbach, Special Consulting Engineer; William "Bill" Dawkins, Operations Chief/Communications (XO); Charles Martinez, Astrogation (Second Officer); Cheryl Dawkins, Medical Nurse; Corey Macmillan, Operations/Transport; Sal Ramirez, Ships Steward (Security as needed); Lt. Jessica Simpson, Starfleet Engineer; Ensign Sharif, Starfleet Engineer (Night Command); Olliver "Ollie" Blake, Chief Engineer (Third Officer); Margaret Bjornburg, Engineering; Varun Chahal, Engineering.


	28. Dukat and the Maquis

Two days later, the Bruce was on alert with an extra ten station personnel on board at Sisko's request. If the Cardassians attacked, he wanted help defending. Harry was alright with that. The Bruce was currently moving about the Bajoran system so as not to be at a standstill.

Everyone's expectations were challenged when the new Marauder's Map was put to the test. Odo, having seen the alert system installed on the Bruce, asked for a similar alert system for Deep Space 9.

There were two maps created for Deep Space 9, though there were three displays. Commander Sisko stored one map away, its existence only known to Sisko himself. It had the Marauder's password to activate and deactivate it. It also required a crystal key because Sisko had no wand.

The second display was hardwired to three displays: Sisko's Office, Ops, Security Chief's Office, and the Security Office. Only command-level personnel were authorized to access it.

The computer automatically modified the presentation to make it appear as a modern, computer generated map.

Verbal commands could cause sections to be expanded in view.

Sisko was sitting at his desk when the alert sounded. "Computer. Open map display." The panel appeared. "Report map anomaly."

The computer's voice sounded, "Unauthorized visitor detected."

"Show me." Sisko ordered. He saw the name expand on the screen. "Display location of Skrain Dukat." The name was displayed within a little-used corridor. When a Bajoran name appeared, Dukat appeared to hide until the name disappeared.

Sisko tapped his badge. "Sisko to Constable Odo."

"Go ahead."

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I received the alert while on patrol. I am returning to my office having put my people on watch."

"Gul Dukat has decided to grace us with his presence."

"I see." There was a pause. "Where can he be located?" Sisko read out the corridor locations. He felt a little guilty having set the computer to take note of any Cardassian presence other than Elim Garek, but it had proven successful. Odo asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Sisko considered. "Go to corridor," Sisko called a nearby location. "I will keep an eye on him and see where he goes."

Major Kira chimed his door. "Commander, a Commander Cal Hudson has arrived?" Major Kira had gone with O'Brien on the Bruce earlier and they had found the trace of a Federation implosion device.

"Major. Come over here."

She came. "This is the map you and Odo were talking about."

"Right. I want you to notice this name." He pointed.

She peered at it and then her voice rose. "What is he doing here!?"

Sisko motioned her to silence. "Keep an eye on him. I am going to talk to Cal."

Major Kira was more than willing to monitor the visitor. Sisko left. "Cal!" he called as he saw his friend. "I didn't know you were coming."

Cal smiled though Sisko thought it a bit forced. "I was just catching up with Dax." Jadzia was grinning. "I'm the officer they have in charge of the Federation colonists in the Demilitarized Zone. Starfleet thought I could provide assistance."

Sisko was relieved to hear that Cal didn't think the Cardassians would retaliate. The reasons for that were depressing. Sisko was considering where to talk to Cal when Major Kira came out of his office. She spoke to him quietly.

Her tone was almost impressed when she said, "He got to where he was going."

"Which is?"

Major Kira said, "Your quarters." Sisko shot her a lock and she nodded. He sighed. "Go find Jake and make certain he doesn't go back to our quarters – I think he's with Nog. I'm going to talk to Cal but I think it's best I don't bring up our visitor. And then I have to go find out what the man wants."

Major Kira said quietly, "Better you than me."

Sisko didn't appreciate the humor. He spoke in a normal voice. "Thank you, Major. If you could take care of that."

"Of course, Commander." Major Kira nodded to the others and left.

Cal was curious. "What was that?"

"An internal matter."

Sisko closed the map panel with a quick command even as he led Cal Hudson in. The conversation told him two things: 1) Whatever was happening was bigger than a blown up transport, and 2) His old friend Cal Hudson was definitely in the camp of "it was a bad treaty," deeply so.

* * *

Once Cal had been sent off, Sisko girded himself. First he visited Quarks. Rom was tending the bar. "Commander," the man cheerfully addressed him. "How can I help you?"

Sisko smiled. Rom was always more pleasant than his brother. "I would like a bottle of kanar. Blue, if you have it."

Rom was a bit startled. "Kanar? Are you certain?"

"Yes. And you can take the fee for it from my account." Sisko did have an account, set up by Harry, which Sisko could access when dealing with diplomatic matters. This was entirely separate from the normal intricacies of Federation crew members eating at Quarks for Federation Credits, which was applied to the rental agreement.

"Would you like glasses?"

Sisko considered that. "No. Just the bottle."

"Coming right up."

Rom delivered the bottle and Sisko left with a smirk. Quark finally noticed. "What was that?"

"Commander Sisko ordered a bottle of kanar."

Quark was surprised. "Sisko ordered liquor? Specifically kanar?" Rom nodded. "Did he say why?"

Rom said, "No. He ordered it and asked me to put it on his account."

Quark considered that. Something was happening and it included a Cardassian. He would be keeping his ears open.

Sisko paused in front of his door. He opened his door with a muttered voice command. As he crossed the threshold he directed himself to the replicator without looking. "You might as well replicate a glass for yourself and we can sit down together so that you can explain why you snuck onto my station, _Gul Dukat_." Sisko turned to the man.

"You are not surprised to see me," the Cardassian observed.

"No." Sisko lifted what he was carrying. "I brought a bottle of kanar for you. Actually," He walked up to the replicator. "Computer. One empty glass, a quarter of a liter. One quarter liter glass filled two-thirds with 30-percent-diluted guava juice. Include a drink stirrer in the juice."

The two glasses appeared and Sisko poured a bit of kanar into the juice and filled the other glass. The second one he placed in front of Dukat before sitting down. After stirring the kanar and juice Sisko took a sip.

It was surprisingly good for a thrown-together cocktail. The extra thickness of the kanar was offset by the diluted nature of the juice.

"So. Why have you invaded my station?" Sisko asked calmly.

Dukat decided to ignore that Sisko was ready. "You have a problem."

Sisko casually asked, "Do I?"

"The Bok'nor."

Sisko had to ask, "Is this the Central Command's way of responding to my communiqués?"

"On the contrary, Central Command has no idea I'm here." At Sisko's dubious look Dukat assured him, "It's _true_. I'm here _un_officially to help you find out the truth about the Bok'Nor."

"Why would you want to help me?" Sisko asked pointedly.

"Because I already _know_ the truth," Dukat replied calmly.

"You know who's responsible?" Sisko asked with interest.

"I do."

"Who?"

"You are." Sisko gave him a slightly incredulous look. "Well not you _personally_, Commander. I know you to be an honorable man. You're not one to go around attaching implosion devices to impulse engines. But believe it or not, there are those of your brethren who are willing to do such things."

Dukat put his glass down. "Morally superior human beings and other members of the Federation."

Sisko stood up and confronted him directly. "I'm supposed to take your word for that?"

"No, of course note. It's my job to convince you so that you can clean up your own house instead of forcing us to do it for you, which would certainly endanger the new treaty."

Sisko conceded (to himself only) that humoring the man was likely the most expeditious course. He sent word to Sir Harry.

* * *

Sir Harry was in command as the Bruce followed the runabout carrying Commander Sisko and Gul Dukat.

"What is the speed?" he asked Martinez.

"Warp 1.5."

"Steady as she goes."

One of the Starfleet crew that Sisko had sent over asked, "So we can't be seen?"

"At the moment. I'm certain that someone will come up with a way to see through my wards."

Dawkins had moved to allow a Federation woman to take care of communications. "Captain. We're receiving a distress call."

"From where?"

"Two Federation vessels are taking fire from two Cardassian vessels just inside the Demilitarized Zone."

"Set the course and increase speed to Warp 6. I want us between the ships."

"Warp 6, Aye."

"Dobby. When I call out now!"

The extra crew were confused but Harry needed Dobby, who could always here him, to disengage the ward control – that hadn't been perfected yet. Dobby and Winky, bonded to Harry, had been given magical authorization – possible but not commonly done with House Elves.

"Twenty seconds!"

"Full shields. Dobby, NOW!"

The woman at the science station called out, "All vessels, Cardassian and Federation, have broken off."

"We're receiving hails from all vessels."

"Captain, two more Federation vessels of small size on an intercept course."

"Tell them to stand by. Martinez, move closer to the Cardassians. Dawkins, extend the shield bubble around them."

"Aye Captain."

That was completed just in time as the two small Federation vessels fired weapons. "Order all vessels to cease fire."

When that was passed on Harry used his badge. "Potter to Macmillan. Beam Cardassian ship occupants to the Landing bay. Computer. Alert Security to secure Cardassians beamed in. Lieutenant Marislo, order all Federation vessels to stand by for Commander Sisko's arrival. Failure to comply will cause us to use our weapons to disable them."

The Bolian female did as ordered. She reported, "All ships will comply."

The woman at engineering reported, "All Federation vessels have powered down the engines."

"Good. Potter to Security. Inform Cardassian guests that Gul Dukat of the Second Order is arriving with Commander Sisko of Deep Space 9 on a Federation runabout in about – how far away, Ensign Cirseg? One minute. They can either wait where they are or be beamed to the brig. Potter, Out."

Harry turned to Lt. Marislo, the Bolian at communications. "Hail the Orinoco."

"Commander Sisko is responding."

"On screen."

Harry turned to the screen. "Commander, Gul. We have a mess to clean up."

Finally, Dukat and the calmer of the two Cardassian pilots flew the Cardassian vessels and four Starfleet crew members flew the Federation vessels to the colony worlds. The other combatants were kept under control by Sal Ramirez with the assistance of the more DS9 crew.

* * *

When they arrived to the colony world, it was to a confrontation.

Harry was asked by the Cardassian making accusations, "Who are you?"

"Sir Harry Potter, Knight of the Thistle, Commading BSS Bruce. My ship stopped two Cardassian shuttles from destroying Federation merchant vessels and also stopped Federation vessels from destroying the Cardassian shuttles."

"BSS?" the Cardassian asked.

"Britannic Star Ship. Britain is my home region on Earth."

Sisko prevented more questions. "He is not Federation but has Earth diplomatic status. His ship is owned by him, though he offered her to assist me in resolving the immediate crisis. Now. What is going on?"

The Cardassian, Gul Evek, brought up the confession by the now dead Human. Harry waited but there was a question never answered.

"Excuse me," he interrupted even as voices rose. "Thank you." He looked at the Gul that had brought the confession. "Gul Evek. Please explain to me under what authority you kidnapped a non-Cardassian at Deep Space 9 so as to obtain his confession?"

"We were investigating the destruction of our vessel!" the man said loudly.

"Gul Evek, did you make any contact with Station personnel and ask for their assistance?"

"We would have been refused because it was Cardassians asking."

Harry said, "Commander Sisko has been utterly faithful to being fair and unbiased despite personal feelings since I met him a year and a half ago. He has had his crew looking for whatever caused of the explosion to the exclusion of other matters of importance. You obviously had some evidence – otherwise you would not have picked the man up. Therefore, you could have shared the knowledge of that evidence with Commander Sisko to allow him to arrest him under Station law."

"That minor violation does not change the fact that the man was guilty of killing over 75 of our people. He confessed!"

"I am not arguing the validity of the confession. I have no knowledge of whether it can be trusted or not. If he had been kept alive, I could have proven the confession valid – I have that ability. That is impossible now. But my observation of the Cardassian violation of Bajoran sovereignty will be reported to the Bajoran Provisional Government." He turned to Sisko. "Commander? I do have another observation." Sisko nodded for him to continue.

He turned back to Evek. "I am not arguing about the right of the Cardassian vessels to protect themselves. The question still remains: Where did Cardassian civilian shuttles obtain Galor-class weapons?" He turned to Dukat. "Where these weapons a knock-off or were they Cardassian?"

Dukat reported without emotion, "The weapons are Cardassian."

Harry turned to the Commander. "And the Federation vessels also had photon torpedo launchers. Where did these launchers come from?"

Sisko answered, "They are not Starfleet. However, the casings do appear to have been made by Federation industrial replicators according to my scans. There is no way to determine where these replicators were operating. They could be from the other side of the Federation."

"So both Federation and Cardassian civilian colonists have weapons and, though there isn't actual evidence that this is true, both appear to have obtained the weapons from the governments that are, by treaty, enjoined from arming those colonists." He sighed. "I just was clarifying the details."

Sisko said, "They can be interrogated to find out where they come from."

Cal Hudson looked mutinous at that, the Cardassians agreeable, and Harry snorted. "I think there would be a riot if it was suggested that the Federation take the Cardassians and the Cardassians take the Federation citizens. All of their actions were within the DMZ, where neither government has jurisdiction other than their treaty obligations to not arm the people."

He hit his badge. "Potter to the Bruce."

"Go ahead, Captain."

"Beam all non-weapon materiel off of the six vessels – the Federation shuttles to the planet surface and the Cardassian vessels outside of their shuttles here. Then target and destroy all six vessels."

"Aye, Captain."

There were sounds of protest but Sisko, Hudson, and Dukat got them calmed down. "No one will accept anything else. Everyone gets their people and no one gets the weapons. Where anyone goes from here? Not my business. But this concludes my assistance in resolving the immediate conflict."

"What business do you have acting?" one of the colonists asked.

"I stopped the ships from being destroyed. I'm operating as diplomatic assistance – I'm not going to favor either side. The whole thing is a clusterfuck and isn't going to get resolved here. All I can provide is a bandaid. Would you rather have let your people be taken by the Cardassians to be questioned?"

The colonists realized he had a point. The Cardassian, Gul Evek, asked, "You're not Starfleet. What's stopping us from destroying your ship as interfering with Cardassian matters?"

Harry looked at the man and said, "My name is Sir Harry Potter of Great Britain, Earth. I am a Knight of the Thistle, an award I earned fighting against those who would destabilize my society, terrorists all. _Nemo me impune lacessit_." The last was said with intensity.

Evek asked, "And what does that mean?"

Sisko answered for him. "_No one provokes me with impunity._"

Harry sneered at the man and, picturing his ready room, he apparated away.

Those left behind where shocked at the loud sound.

"What happened?" Evek asked. "Where did he go?"

"Obviously, Sir Harry decided to return to his ship," Sisko said calmly.

Dukat said, "That was not a transporter."

Sisko had a small smirk. "No. It wasn't." He turned to talk to Commander Hudson on the matter.

* * *

Dukat finally joined Sisko and returned to the station with him. Sisko refused to give any more details about Sir Harry's abilities. Reluctantly, Sisko put the Cardassian Gul in a set of quarters.

And, despite the increased security, the man was kidnapped that night.

Harry was in his quarters on the Bruce when the call came in.

Ensign Sharif, currently the man on night watch, woke him up. "Sharif to Captain Potter."

Harry, startled awake, answered. "This is Potter. Go."

"Sir. A report came in that Gul Dukat was abducted. We were contacted for any information we might have."

That woke Harry up. "As we've been down, we obviously don't know anything. But thank you for alerting me."

"Welcome."

"Potter Out."

Calling for Dobby for assistance, Harry was soon dressed in robes, though not battle robes. Concentrating, Harry apparated over to the station into a corner of Sisko's office.

Sisko and Kira jumped. "You could have told us you were coming."

"I was just woken up for information, which I did not have. Did you check back on the record of the map?"

Sisko nodded. "We did. That was how we got the name of the Vulcan woman and the Human man who committed the kidnapping. It also allowed us to identify the ship they left on. Though there wasn't much of a question as the only other ship leaving went through the wormhole."

Harry huffed. "And so I had to be woken up … why?"

Sisko calmly replied, "I do apologize for that. Sometimes you seem to know more than you should. I was hoping it was true in this case."

Harry admitted to himself that he was paying the price of being a nosy son-of-a-wonderful-witch (he would never even mentally call his mother a bitch). "I understand. I assume that you're tracing where he might have been taken."

"Of course."

"Okay. Well … you know I can't stand the man. I don't want to see these idiots start a war but I won't be crying if Dukat gets himself killed because he was acting superior."

"Superior?" Sisko asked, a tone of amusement in his voice.

Harry huffed. "Smug? Know-best? How else should I put it?"

"Self-Confident?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Sisko asked, "Are you willing to assist?"

Harry considered. "If there's no other choice. Dukat is enough of an enemy of mine that I would rather not. I'm not obligated. But I also would not leave you hanging."

"Understood. If you could scan for the ship's warp trail and inform us of what you find …"`

Harry nodded. "I can do that."

He apparated back to his ship and woke up his crew.

Harry decided that he needed to hire someone who was more familiar with scanners and reading scans than what he had available outside of his Starfleet crewmembers. He got all of the information as it became available. These provided a picture for the crew.

"So. A synopsis would be that either the ship transferred Dukat and his captors and moved in this direction, or the ship transferred them to a convenient drop point on the way."

Simpson considered that. "Yes, Captain."

Harry huffed. "Let's call Sisko." He moved from the screen at the Science station to his chair. "Okay, Dawkins. Contact DS9 Ops."

"Aye, Cap'n." Harry was almost amused – Bill Dawkins kept his accent as a point of pride. His people had lived in some place they called Texas for centuries and he felt keeping the accent honored his people. He supposed he could sympathize: Harry would never throw over the way he spoke for the Americanized "no accent" that was considered normal now.

At least Harry had Julian if he needed a sound of home.

The screen popped up. "Sir Harry," Sisko greeted him as the image appeared.

"Commander Sisko. Have you got a lead? Do we need to go somewhere?"

Sisko replied, "We think he was taken to the badlands. We're going to check it out. Considering your actions in blowing up all ships involved, it might be provocative if you assisted."

Harry nodded. "Okay then. We'll stay out unless you ask."

"Thank you."

"Good luck, Commander."

Sisko nodded. "Deep Space Nine, Out."

Lars, who was watching, said, "You don't intend to stay out of it."

"Right." He turned to Simpson. "When they're away, let me know." He turned. "Martinez. Plot a course toward the possible drop off planets. In case they were wrong, we'll check the other possibility." He called out, "Dobby!"

Dobby appeared. "Master Harry called?"

"Activate the cloaking ward."

"Yes, Master Harry." Dobby disappeared.

About a minute later Dawkins reported, "Sensor bouys no longer track us."

"Good." He looked at Simpson. "5 planets?"

"Yes, Captain. Further study sets two as most likely."

"Show me."

The front screen popped up and two bodies with M-class or close enough environments were depicted. "Martinez. Set a course for the first target, Warp 7."

"Warp 7, Aye."

Simpson asked, "Captain. Can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead." He avoided making the obvious joke.

"You're ignoring the Warp 5 limitations. I understand why. Is there a reason you haven't gotten official approval?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Yes." He looked at Simpson. "I could argue that I have ensured that my ship does not contribute to subspace instability and, in fact, reduces it because we gather up more stray particles than we release. I could argue that legally I am independent, though there are those who would argue against that. But mostly? Because I honestly don't trust the government to do the right thing. I would expect them to tell me I have to follow the rule anyway despite my having overcome the reasons for the rule."

Simpson replied, "I don't think they would."

Harry chuckled darkly. "I come from a time when no one trusted their government. We had it easier because our Queen was, overall, really good. But she wasn't really the government. The Federation Council? Yeah … no. I'm leery."

Simpson replied, "I understand, Captain. I don't agree, but I have to admit you have the right to not trust them."

"Thank you," Harry commented avoiding an ironic tone. "Then again, these Maquis, or so they name themselves, are taking it further."

"So called, Maquis?" Martinez asked.

Harry sighed. "That's from Earth, World War II. The government of France was a puppet government controlled by the Nazis. The Maquis were a guerrilla resistance which fought against the Nazis and the collaborators in the Vichy government. The Bajoran resistance during the occupation earned the right to call themselves Maquis."

Dawkins said, "So you don't agree with them."

Harry sighed. "I understand their point. Their choices are limited. But they aren't a noble resistance against a collaborating government."

Lars said, "They seem to think the Federation gave up on them."

"Legally? There is no real government control. It's a legal no man's land, like the old Wild West. There, everyone owned a gun. It was called the great equalizer. I think the colonists should be allowed to have whatever guns they can carry. But that's not the law here."

Lars shrugged. "I've never read the treaty personally."

Harry paused at that. "Actually, come to think of it I haven't either."

Lars said, "Something to think about."

"We are four minutes from the first planet."

"When we arrive, drop to impulse. Lt, scan for a Cardassian life sign."

"Aye, Captain," was echoed out.

Simpson carefully ran the scans. Harry finally asked, "Anything?"

"No, Captain."

"No ships? No Cardassians?"

"Correct, Captain."

He sighed. "Okay. Martinez, plot the course for the next planet on the list and engage."

"Yes, Captain."

That location proved more successful. Simpson called it out. "I've got a Cardassian in a shallow cave. Other life signs include 2 Humans and 1 Vulcan."

"Likely the woman Quark told Sisko about." The crew agreed.

Harry stood up. "Transport me and the House Elves down a hundred yards away. Dawkins, you have the conn."

Simpson was about to protest but then shut up. Harry asked her, "Starfleet protocols?" She nodded. "Yeah – that's not me."

Fifteen minutes after they had been beamed down, Harry called. "Potter to the Bruce."

Dawkins voice came through. "We're here, Sir Harry."

"Beam these up, Ramirez and other non-duty personnel to watch them."

"Aye, Captain."

The four beamed up. Harry had stunned Dukat and the others. There was no shuttle and nothing obvious outside of some supplies. "Apparate back, guys."

Both elves and the Human Captain disappeared with short cracks, appearing in the Captain's ready room.


	29. Exacting a Price

After a quick confab, Harry apparated back down with Sal following. The shuttle nearby was then retrieved and flown up to the Bruce.

Sir Harry Potter quickly traveled to the empty room which held those transported up. "Potter to Martinez."

"Go ahead, Captain."

"Set course for Deep Space 9, Warp 2. No need to hurry as we have to wait for Sisko to return."

Cheryl was waiting with Sal. "They are unconscious but I am detecting no phaser residue."

Harry nodded. "I stunned them using magic."

Cheryl considered that. "Why?"

"Because they were getting tedious and I was getting annoyed," Harry replied with aplomb.

Nurse Dawkins decided she didn't want to know. "I need to get them moved to the Infirmary."

"No you don't."

She turned to the Captain. "I don't care who you are. I am in charge of the health of anyone who arrives on this ship. They are here and unconscious."

Harry huffed. "Wait a minute." He conjured four chairs and magically moved each person to one. When everything was set, he renervated the Vulcan woman.

Cheryl scanned the woman even as she woke up. Sakonna, when she became alert, noted what was happening and gathered herself into the normal Vulcan stoicism. Cheryl turned. "Okay. I can see that they are otherwise healthy so I retract my order as the medical authority to move them to sickbay."

Harry said, "Thank you. I'd like to point out that on a Federation ship, the Captain is in charge and unless it's crew, his orders trump the doctor's in terms of what happens."

Cheryl didn't like it but finally said, "You're right. I apologize, Captain."

Harry waved it off. "Okay. So. Little Ms. Kidnapper. Let's talk." The Vulcan woman did not respond. "Despite my opposition down on the planet, I would point out that my objection was not that you inconvenienced the Cardassian there. My objection is that you violated Deep Space 9. If I didn't object to your actions, the Cardassians would be able to call me a hypocrite."

At that Sakonna asked, "What do you mean?"

"Your man who blew up the Bok'nor. He was kidnapped from Deep Space 9 by Cardassians somehow disguised to appear as not, interrogated, and then – after his confession was recorded – he died either by suicide or murder. I filed an official protest with the Bajoran Provisional Government that the Cardassians kidnapped him on a Bajoran station. I will also be filing a protest with the Provisional Government as regards the kidnapping by yourself and that man." He pointed to one of the other unconscious Humans. "What are you trying to find out? You appeared to be preparing yourself to interrogate him."

Sakonna considered that. "We were attempting to find out where the Cardassians are storing the weapons they are giving over to their colonists."

Harry nodded. "So you can attack, I assume. Well, bad news: Dukat doesn't know."

"Impossible," she replied calmly.

"No. It's true. From what I can see, his involvement in all of this is that he is feeling less than loved by those in charge and he is involving himself to increase his importance. He still feels the sting of being demoted after being the Prefect of Bajor during the time they were basically forced to leave by the civilian government."

Sakonna remained stoic, but that wasn't much to go on as she was Vulcan.

"How were you going to interrogate him?"

Sakonna said, "I was planning to use a mind meld."

Harry thought about that. "Fine. Let's try it your way."

Sakonna looked at Harry, at Cheryl, and at the unconscious Dukat. "I would prefer he be awake; entering and melding with unconscious minds requires more than the basic ability and I have not studied such."

Harry shrugged. "Stand near him." He looked at Cheryl, who didn't look happy. "Sal, keep the phaser out and on stun."

Cheryl looked less hostile. "I can agree to that."

Sal from outside of the room and Cheryl took out her tricorder. "_Ennervate_."

Soon Dukat was awake. He looked around. "This is not where we were," he commented.

Harry answered, "No. I captured your captors and you. In the interest of expediency, I'm allowing her to attempt to mind meld with you to verify something I told her."

Dukat asked in his smug tone, "Isn't this a violation of Starfleet regulations?"

Harry chuckled. "I'm independent. Outside of having diplomatic immunity, I also have authorization to act to defend my own in whatever way I deem necessary. Finding out what threat you may be seems prudent."

Dukat looked confused. "I don't know what you mean."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He looked at Sakonna. "Go ahead."

Sakonna made the attempt but was not successful. "He is blocking me."

"A simple matter of training." Dukat looked amused.

"So he has occulmency shields or their equivalent."

"Occulmency?" Sakonna asked.

"Protections against mental invasion – something my people had to combat mental invasion." He pulled his wand and cast, "_Legilimens!_" After a long moment Harry pulled his wand up. "Yep. He has shields, as good as my own and I worked hard to achieve those. Too many of my teachers and my enemies had the ability to invade minds."

"So there is no way to verify," Sakonna observed.

"Sal? Keep an eye on all of them?" Harry left.

Dukat turned his head and saw a man with a phaser standing there. "Aye, Captain."

Harry looked at Sakonna. "The other two won't be awake for another two hours or until I wake them. But they are fine." She nodded.

Harry left and, a minute later came back in. He walked up to Dukat. "I want you to open your mouth. This is truth serum and I am giving you four drops." Harry figured that the Cardassian constitution was stronger than Human and four drops, possibly dangerous in Humans, was probably safe.

It wasn't like he really cared if Dukat suffered because of it.

"Truth serum?" Dukat said. "You expect that to work? Fine." He opened his mouth.

Harry dropped the serum in. And if Dukat was alert he would have been shocked as it overcame the technological prevention of such methods. "What is your name?"

"Skrain Dukat," the answer came back dully.

"Have you ever murdered a Bajoran?"

"No."

Sakonna said, "It is obviously not working." Harry put his hand up.

"Have you ever killed a Bajoran?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Too many to count."

"Why?"

"It was necessary and I enjoyed the power."

Harry looked at Sakonna who no longer appeared to object. "Working," he said quietly. And then motioned her forward.

"Were you involved in giving weapons to Cardassian colonists in the demilitarized zone?"

"No."

Sakonna was startled. He allowed her to ask some questions but silenced Dukat on others. "I believe you have the right to certain information to protect yourself and your people. This is not a general interrogation."

Sakonna, and the men who had been woken to allow them to witness the interrogation, didn't like it but agreed.

Harry stopped them and had Sal lead them out of the room. Harry then turned and said, "I will administer the antidote." Harry deliberately walked out of Dukat's vision.

He then asked another question. "What crimes have you committed that you enjoyed the most and would get you in the most trouble if they were known?"

Harry's eyes widened at the answers and he had to ask a few questions as follow up.

Once he knew enough, he pulled the Elder wand and cast, "_Obvliviate!_" He put that wand away and then continued walking as though he hadn't paused.

He pulled out another vial and eye-dropper and administered the antidote and then stepped back.

Dukat took a long moment to come to himself. "You have a truth serum that can be used on Cardassians trained to defeat them."

"Yes."

Dukat looked at him for a long moment and then stood up. "You were a fool to allow the opportunity to question me pass by."

"No. I am still limited by my Human morals. You know how the Cardassian Empire thinks that Humans are faking this consistent optimism? It's not true. We will hold to our morals in the face of unbelievable pressure to do otherwise. But we will also become your worst enemy if forced to be so. I would highly recommend not allowing your government to underestimate what Humans backed into a corner will do. It will be unpleasant for you."

Dukat didn't look like he believed that. "What now?"

"Now? You'll be put in quarters. And your kidnappers will be turned over to Federation justice. Which is less unpleasant than Cardassian, to be certain. Trials declare guilt and it's not decided until the actual trial. I'm sure that is not what you believe is good justice."

Dukat finally said, "Human naivety is astounding."

Harry wanted to shake his head. "I want to explain something but I'm going to wait until I turn you over to Sisko. I want him to be able to tell you if I am lying."

Dukat asked, "Where am I to go?"

Harry hit his badge. "Potter to Macmillan."

"Go ahead, Captain."

"I have a guest at my location. Sal is keeping our prisoners from escaping and I need someone to show Gul Dukat to a VIP set of quarters. Meet me on deck three."

"Understood, Captain."

Harry led the Cardassian to the lift and put him in VIP Quarters. These quarters were designated because they could not access the ship's computer without security authorization. They could access all music and entertainment, but not much else.

The two men got to deck 3 and Macmillan was waiting. Harry said, "We're going to wait until Sisko is ready to receive you – so it might take up to twelve hours until you are returned. But there is a replicator in your quarters, some of it programmed by my House Elves from foods we had at home. I recommend the Shepard's Pie. For afters you might like a bit of spotted dick – it's quite good. And if you read English, or even if you want the Cardassian translation, a book the computer can provide that you might enjoy is the Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. It was written about 900 years ago, far before we even had our industrial age. But I think you'd probably like it. You might prefer his Art of War, but that is unlikely. There is also a collection of different musical collections." Maybe you'd enjoy Ina goda da vida." Harry hid his smirk even as he walked away.

The food he recommended was quite good, Machiavelli would likely appeal to a Cardassian, but Ina Goda Da Vida would likely irritate him – it took a certain mindset to enjoy that music.

* * *

Harry was in the Captain's chair as the Bruce came into the Bajoran system.

"Open a channel to DS9 Ops."

"Aye, Captain."

Soon Harry was on with Dax. "Where are you?" Dax asked.

"I just reentered the system. What's going on?"

"The Orinoco is still not back yet. We also have a Cardassian Legate arriving and a Starfleet Admiral."

Harry considered. "Are we hearing the drums of war?" Harry asked.

Dax was amused at that. "Not really. Admiral Nechayev isn't happy but she never seems that happy."

"And the Legate?"

Dax shrugged. "Who knows?"

"I'm going to be here. Inform Sisko I would like a call when he returns."

"You got it."

"Thanks. Bruce, Out."

Martinez turned and looked at the Captain. "You didn't tell them you have Dukat or the kidnappers?"

"No. King Charles told me I answer to Sisko, at his request, when there's an emergency. I don't answer to this admiral or this Cardassian Legate."

* * *

Three hours later Harry was in his ready room when Dawkins sent an alert. Harry opened the channel. "Potter."

"We just observed Sisko's runabout returning."

"Thanks. I'll be right out."

Unexpectedly, there was no immediate call. Harry looked at Simpson, who was covering the Engineering station. "Probably being chewed out by the Admiral?"

Simpson shrugged. "Possibly."

After thirty minutes, Harry contacted Ops again. To his surprise, Major Kira appeared. "Sir Harry. How can I help you?"

"Did Commander Sisko relay that I called in?" he asked.

"Yes. But he was going to call after dealing with the two visitors. Now he has us retracing the possible route taken by the kidnappers."

"The Admiral and the Legate?"

"Not pleasant." Kira then messaged through. "And here he is."

The image changed over to Sisko at his desk. "I apologize for not calling back. How can I help you, Sir Harry?"

Harry asked, "I take it that Admiral Nye … whatever her name … and the Cardassian were not pleasant?"

Sisko actually looked surprised. "Not really. Though the Cardassians are now quite accepting of Dukat being killed by the Maquis as they now claim he was part of a group of traitors supplying the colonists. _I_ would like to find the truth."

"Well, I can help you."

"Oh?" Sisko asked.

"We determined that either the kidnappers either were sent off to the DMZ or were transferred to M class planets on the route. You went to the DMZ – I figured we would check the M class planets. I have Dukat and his kidnappers that I am waiting to turn over to you."

Sisko stood up quickly. "You could have started with that!"

Harry shrugged. "Sorry?"

Sisko took two deep breaths. "How long until you can dock with the station?"

Harry called out, "Dobby! Turn off the ward." The ship's wards dropped. "Just tell me which docking point."

* * *

It didn't take long to dock and very soon Harry was overseeing the transfer of people. He told Sisko, "These two are the ones who kidnapped Dukat. The third was just there – but I didn't see him doing anything illegal here. I also have their shuttle. I figured you could send messages with him."

Sisko considered that. "You have a point. He can't be convicted of a crime there is no evidence of."

Dukat had been led out just then. "He was found with the two who captured me."

Harry looked at the Cardassian. "Which goes to the thing I wanted to tell you about Federation justice."

Dukat asked, "And what is that?"

"In most civilized Federation societies, the driving principle of jurisprudence is this: It is better for ten guilty people to be let free than to convict an innocent one."

Dukat actually looked shocked. He asked Sisko, "This is true?"

Sisko replied, "Yes. Generally that is the accepted principle."

Dukat looked like the world had failed him. "That is beyond comprehension."

Harry chuckled. "If you even get a chance, watch an old Earth vid called _12 Angry Men_. It was an entertainment vid which is nevertheless quite educational if you are ever trying to understand how Humans approach justice."

Sisko could see that Potter was now just goading the man. "Thank you, Sir Harry. I will take matters from here."

Harry was asked to keep out of the final confrontation save for being a final prevention if the Maquis made it through Sisko's people. Only Sisko knew he was there.

* * *

And so Harry watched as the three Federation runabouts confronted the two Maquis ships. Sisko was able to stop the attack but Hudson got away.

Harry snickered as he was certain Dukat would be pissed about that.

Finally Harry called out, "Open a channel to Commander Sisko."

Soon, Sisko and Dukat could be seen on the screen. "Commander Sisko. I see you were successful."

"For the moment."

"Your companion does not seem happy."

"He didn't like the fact that I didn't kill Hudson after I prevented him from firing. He considered it an act of weakness."

Harry snorted. "Tell him that the man could have killed you and didn't. Now you're even." Dukat didn't look happy but didn't comment. "Anyway. I'm willing to gather up the damaged runabouts and then I can drop you and them off at the station. I do have something to take care of after."

Sisko considered that. "That would be appreciated." He paused and then asked, "Can your bay even _hold_ three runabouts?"

"A tight fit. In this case it's lucky that the only shuttle _I_ have is the Aeroshuttle."

"We definitely will accept assistance."

"As soon as the wards are dropped, you'll be able to find me with sensors."

* * *

It didn't take long for the runabouts to be loaded and, as Harry commented, there wasn't much room. Dukat asked, "If you were present, why didn't you intervene?"

Harry replied with as much disdain, "I have a ship classified as a Diplomatic Yacht, though my sovereign has permitted me to assist Commander Sisko in limited ways. Despite that, I only acted during this crisis to prevent a shooting war, when there was no other choice. Even your recovery was only done in the interest of preventing a war. It's almost a pity that I heard that the Central Command had approved your execution only after I had found reason to keep you alive."

Dukat looked at him and said, "You don't like me."

"No."

"And what could I have done to offend you?" Dukat was being smug again.

Harry considered it and finally said, "Lursa and B'Etor's records were very clear as to who was paying them to kidnap my elves."

Dukat had heard of what had happened to the Klingon women. "I see. The Obsidian Order reversed their orders after the report of their failure. At least we can move past that unfortunate incident."

Harry just turned and walked back toward the bridge. Sisko moved with him. Sal was waiting. "Put our guests in the lounge – we're returning to Deep Space 9 directly – no need for quarters."

"Aye, Captain."

Harry turned to Sisko. "You're welcome on the Bridge."

Sisko considered that. "That would be fine."

Just as the lift opened, Harry stopped. "Sal?"

"Captain?"

"It's a couple hours back to Deep Space 9 at Warp 4. Offer Dukat the screening of 12 Angry Men in the lounge. The rest can watch too or help Miles with the runabouts. Inform the crew they are free to wach as well."

"Yes, Captain," Sal answered with amusement.

Sisko actually paused. "You know? If it will take two hours to return, I might as well see the vid as well."

Harry smirked. And hit his badge. "Potter to XO."

"This is Dawkins."

"You have the conn. Have Martinez take us back to DS9, Warp 4. Announce to the crew that an old Earth vid will be playing in the lounge for our guests. It's from over four centuries ago. The three crew members least interested can fly us back, as long as one can pilot and the other can watch for anything else, and one can watch the engines in Engineering."

"Aye, Captain."

Sisko asked, "Why are you so interested in having Dukat see this?"

Harry said quietly, "Because it will piss him off to no end – the defendant gets declared innocent."

Sisko actually guffawed briefly at that. Dukat, watching from a distance, was shocked as he had never seen the man even smile. Sisko turned to the others. "We have a number of things we will have to do when we return to the station. For the next two hours, you can relax in the lounge. Mr. Potter is screening an old Earth vid in honor of Gul Dukat being present. It's called _12 Angry Men_."

* * *

Everyone was interested and so they all moved to the lounge.

Harry called out, "Winky!"

The elf popped in. "Master Harry called?" she asked calmly.

"We're going to have guests in the lounge to watch an old Earth movie. Please provide an assortment of drinks and snacks. You can join us or not as well."

"Of course, Master Harry," she answered and then popped off.

Harry waited until the lift was full. "Deck Two." He said to Sisko, "I haven't seen this since I was a child. My Aunt left the telly on during a gossip session in the neighborhood. I would never have seen it otherwise as my Uncle and Aunt didn't like having American movies on the telly."

"The telly?" Kira asked.

Miles answered that one. "A shortening of television – a device to show vids in homes of rich people."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I think Julian's holo adventures have corrupted you or you're only familiar with homes pre-1970. Most homes in most modern countries had a television – some had as many as three tellies by the time I left in 2010."

Miles asked, "Why would they need three?"

"One in the livingroom, one in the parents room, one in the kids room." At the expression of the others Harry said, "Take notes of all questions and I'll explain later. I'm sure some cultural references will be missed. Just remember this was shot in a time when only white men could serve on a jury. But at least they have a good array of cultural backgrounds which is more representative than most juries of that time. This movie shows what would have been an ideally diverse jury according to popular culture of that time."

Major Kira, "Diverse? With no women?"

Sisko said, "And with no people of color."

"Society changed greatly over the next twenty years," Harry pointed out. "A later re-do of this film was much more diverse but not as well acted. I still prefer the original."

Dukat said, "Just show the video. I suppose this will be educational."

Harry shot Sisko a small smirk, unnoticed by anyone else.

The group watched the vid, with Harry explaining cultural references during three pauses. Sisko was amused by the character who had baseball tickets.

When it was done Dukat sat at the table in horror. "This, for you, is a good vid?"

Sisko took that. "Absolutely. In the end the truth won out. The legal principle of reasonable doubt prevailed. What isn't to like?" Now he was just goading the Cardassian.

Miles stood up, not wanting to be there for whatever was happening. "Sir Harry, how long until we reach the station?"

Harry made a call and they found it was an hour away.

"I should get going on getting the runabouts fixed."

Harry looked at his crew. "Engineers of the Bruce. Plus Lars. Please assist Chief O'Brien as you can. We might even have parts in stores."

"Aye, Captain," Ollie Black replied. He led his people and Miles back to the bay. Dukat, Bashir and Sisko remained.

* * *

Odo went with Harry as he had a few questions. "That was quite a vid."

Harry looked at the Constable. "What did _you_ think of it?"

Odo considered that. "I suppose I can accept that such a process has value. It's obvious that whoever investigated the matter did a poor job."

"How so?" Harry asked.

"They decided that the son was the guilty party and didn't attempt to locate or left out evidence that would disprove that."

Harry considered that. "You might be right. We didn't see the investigative aspect of it. There's a set of vids from much later which were 42 minutes each – the other 18 minutes of each hour were advertisements – but it was a series called Law and Order. The first half was the police aspect and the second half was the process of trying them in a court."

Odo said, "I'd be interested in seeing them."

"Still, I think you are a bit too obsessed with the aspect of control. You think enforcing the laws will make things ordered. But it doesn't work." Harry stopped and looked at Odo, who appeared curious as to the reasons. "What kind of man, do you think, should a constable be?"

Odo considered that. "Honest. Respectful of the law." Odo considered how to clarify his thoughts. "I don't follow the religion of the Bajorans but it does give me reference. One could say that, to an officer of the law, law is his god and the officer its priest."

"So you view enforcing the law as some great holy thing." Harry paused to form a though. "What if the law is unjust?"

Odo didn't look comfortable. "One must judge such circumstances according to one's conscience. But if an error is made, it must be in the favor of law and order."

Harry winced. "To our beliefs, the error must be made toward the rights of the individual. That is sacrosanct. The law is only the rules the citizens must follow so as to ensure the rights of the individuals. Law breaking is, by its character, a violation of someone's person. Thievery. Assault. Murder. These things are obvious. But the reason for the law _must not _be not the State's good, but the citizens' and residents' good. The State, if it becomes a threat to the individuals of that State, must itself be considered a violation of moral law."

Odo said, "That is an area I always struggled with, especially before the Cardassian withdrawal. The Federation is easier, but still I at times feel twinges of … something."

The two reached the Bridge. "How does she run, Dawkins?"

"She runs steady, Cap'n."

Harry nodded and the two men continued to the Ready Room. "Anyway. There's a quote and I don't remember what it is or where it's from."

Odo chuckled. "That's helpful."

"Shut up." He sat down and Odo sat across. "Computer. Access cultural database, Earth, pre 2000."

"Working."

"Search for phrases including 'these mean streets'."

"Working."

Odo asked, "These mean streets?"

"It's something I heard once and that was when I first left Magical Britain. Over twelve years ago personal time. It was in some story talking about a man of the law."

Odo looked more interested. "I believe I want to hear it."

After a moment the computer sounded. "Seven records found."

"Display surrounding text of each item."

Odo had come around. "It's obvious that most of these are references what you are trying to remember. This one." He pointed to one of the items.

"Computer. Display text of item seven and the texts for three paragraphs."

Odo read it out loud, _"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world._

_"He will take no man's money dishonestly and no man's insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him._

_"The story is this man's adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in."_

Odo stopped. "What is the name of this work?"

"The quote is from something called … The Atlantic Monthly. A cultural magazine from that time. He wrote a number of articles and books. The author was Raymond Chandler."

Odo said, "I will be quite interested in his works."

Harry shrugged. "He wrote stories but it sounds like he had a good idea of what a detective should be. None of us, I think, fully stand up to that ideal."

Odo moved to sit back down. "Why do you say that?"

Harry shrugged. "We do become tarnished. For a moment of revenge, a moment of joy, a moment of greed, something: No man is perfect. There's another quote from somewhere: It's not how many times you get knocked down that counts, it's how many times you get back up."

Odo said, "It's hard to admit but I've made mistakes. It isn't easy."

Harry was sympathetic. "I understand. I've gone through hell – I know." He smirked. "I have another quote for that too."

Odo saw the amusement. "Oh?"

"And I know where this one is from – he's British like me."

"And what's the quote?" Odo asked, humoring him.

"It's Winston Churchill, who was in charge of Britain during World War II. He said, 'If you're walking through hell, keep going.' Which means if you give up during an unpleasant bit, you'll be stuck in that unpleasant bit."

Odo said, "Not exactly on point, but near enough."

Harry laughed. "Anyway. I hope you've enjoyed your visit."

Odo considered that. "I did. And the vid was nice."

"Good." Harry stood up. "Now it's time to get back to the station."

* * *

Harry was at the docking port to see his guests off. He caught Sisko. "Remember how I said I have somewhere to go?"

"I do."

"I actually need to let my people rest first. But I'd like to borrow Major Kira for up to one day. I kind of need her to be a witness as to what my errand involves."

Sisko asked, "What kind of errand?"

Harry considered how to answer. "Diplomatic? Kind of?" He looked at Sisko seriously. "It's truly better if you don't know. If I didn't have to have Starfleet personnel on board to make sure the technology stays safe, I'd leave Simpson and Sharif too."

Sisko said tightly, "It's as if you're planning on violating the Prime Directive, or an act of similar gravity."

Harry replied, "I really can't say."

"And you're asking Major Kira …"

"It involves her tangentially?"

Sisko looked at Harry for a long moment. "Major Kira," he called.

She came over. "Commander?"

"How long would it take to submit your reports on the current incident?"

She thought about it. "Two hours?"

"Finish the reports and then go rest. Mr. Potter is leaving for up to a day and needs your presence. He is leaving …"

"Ten hours is fine."

"In ten hours."

Major Kira looked at Harry and at Sisko. "Okay." She looked at Harry. "I'll contact you in 9 and half hours."

"Thank you."

Sisko said quietly, "Just don't get us into a fight."

Harry gave a small smirk. "It will be fine."

"Make sure it is." Sisko nodded at him and left.

Harry ordered Sharif to help Miles with getting the shuttles off and sent the rest of his crew to bed. Harry himself had to pass on one more invite."

* * *

It was 4:00 on the station when the BSS Bruce undocked from Deep Space 9. Within fifteen minutes, the ship was out of the immediate area and Harry gave Martinez the order to stop the ship at a particular point.

The wards were activated before they arrived and no one knew where the Bruce was. Harry pushed a button on his chair. A boson's whistle sounded. "This is Sir Harry Potter, Captain of the Bruce. All crew and guests, report to the Bridge for a briefing on our current mission."

Major Kira hadn't been told anything other than having been invited. "What is this about?"

"You'll find out soon."

Major Kira decided to wait. Soon, the bridge had all twelve crew (including himself and Lars) and Major Kira. "Right now this is a party of thirteen – Twelve crew from the Bruce and Major Kira." He smiled and asked, "Did anyone ever read the Hobbit?"

Cheryly said, "I did. If this is the Hobbit, that makes you Thorin, Bill is Balin, Major Kira is Gandalf. But there's one more – the burglar."

Harry grinned. "We do have one more, the fourteenth member, the one added so as not to be unlucky." He pushed a button and his ready room opened. Out stepped another man. "Meet Bilbo Baggins, our lucky number fourteen, our burglar."

Major Kira looked at the extra and said, "_Garek_? What are _you_ doing here?"

Elim Garek, the exiled tailor, was his usual self as he replied, "I was invited. I was told that this foray had a very specific goal and that my assistance would be valuable. I was well paid to close my shop for the day, citing personal issues. But now, Master Harry, you must explain the _prize_ you promised me."

Major Kira asked, "And what prize did he promise?"

Harry said, "I told him that the mission I plan to complete would, ultimately, destroy Gul Dukat and make him one of the most hated figures in Cardassian history."

Major Kira was shocked. Finally she asked, "You had him on your ship. And the Cardassian said that the Maquis could kill him. Why didn't you kill him while he was here?"

Harry sighed. "Blame Kai Opaka."

"Opaka?" she asked incredulously.

Harry nodded. "I studied Divination in school. And though I didn't do well, I did get a sense of it. And having lived through a prophecy, more than one in fact, I kind of know when I should pay attention. Before she left Kai Opaka said this to me:

"_There are things coming which must be. The path Bajorans and all sentients will follow must be decided by those who remain. You have the power, the _pagh_, to influence the world around you greatly. I only ask that you consider carefully before acting. I understand the desire to act immediately when something around you causes you outrage or discomfort._

_"Gryffindors charge ahead, and all that. But a balance between courage, cunning, knowledge, and loyalty must be achieved if things are to move forward on the appropriate path."_

Major Kira asked, "What is that about Gryffindors?"

"In my school there were four houses, known for their traits: Slytherin for cunning, Ravenclaw for knowledge, Hufflepuff for loyalty, Gryffindor for courage. I was Gryffindor – I was heralded as _the_ Gryffindor of my generation though I think my friend Neville had greater claim to that title – I fought from the shadows when he faced the enemy head on. But there is no equivalent in this Universe. How she knew of Gryffindor and the other houses I don't know. It's likely the Prophets told her. But I took her words to heart. Dukat can't be killed." At Garek's face he added, "Yet. But that doesn't mean I can't make his life a living hell. And when I do kill him, Cardassians will cheer me on as will the Federation."

Garek said, "I would cheer you on _now_. What is this _mission_ we are on?" The rest were just as interested.

Harry called out, "Computer. Play recording of the interrogation of Gul Dukat," and he gave the stardate. At a certain point he said, "Pause."

Major Kira said, "You gave this to Sisko."

"I did. And as far as the Maquis were concerned that was the end. But I sent them out and asked a few more questions while he was under the serum. Computer. Continue playback."

And those listening were horrified when they heard what came out later. There was stone silence when Harry turned off playback and locked the recording under his personal security code.

Major Kira said, "I'm going to kill him."

"No. I will. When it's right. But we _are_ going to make him pay a price now."

Garek asked, "And what price _are_ you making him pay?"

Harry smirked and told them. Most of the people present thought he was insane. But Major Kira was not one of them. She stood there silently watching him calm the people down. Finally she said, "I would say the same things if he hadn't brought me along on the clearing of the Hutet Labor Camp on Cardassia IV."

Garek, who had also been quietly listening and watching, said, "Yes. The Central Command was most unhappy with that and the guards left behind were thoroughly interrogated, unsuccessfully, to find out how it was done. But no one knew."

Harry shrugged. "There is a lot that can be done with magic." He looked at Garek. "One choice is a potion which might not work and _could_ cause problems. But I could make you into a Gul Dukat for an hour, so much so that his wife and children couldn't tell it wasn't him."

Garek said, "If it was more certain, I might agree. But what are the other options?"

* * *

In the end, the risks were minimized but there would be some. The first was the hardest. "I don't feel completely happy about testing this. But I need to know before I decide."

Major Kira said, "With luck, the Cardassian will return with no memory of this." Major Kira was sanguine about using a Cardassian from the surface for the test. It involved Harry transporting down, apparating, and finding a Cardassian who appeared to be working alone, stunning him, and then casting the Portus spell and activating the first.

The Bruce was cautious but the protection on the ship held. Harry apparated down while disillusioned. It was peaceful enough that no one watched closely enough to see.

He did as required and, once the man was sent off, Harry looked around to fix the area in his mind. And then he apparated. Luckily it wasn't that far from the ship to the surface.

He got to the ship. When he was back, he cancelled the spell. "Diagnosis?"

Cheryl replied, "The Cardassian is completely healthy, just knocked out."

Harry felt enormous relief. "That is a load off and no mistake. Now I just need to figure out the range it will work. Will it work from one planet to another? Will it work from light years away?"

Garek said, "Something to worry about at another time. Right now, we need to send this one back. I recommend not returning him to consciousness first. He might wake up and send an alert. It might even be best if he disappears _permanently_."

Harry chuckled. "Cardassian practicality. We're not doing that. Cheryl? Can you give him something that will keep him knocked out?"

Cheryl nodded. "There are a few drugs that will do that."

"Give him one of them. And then we'll send him back before we leave."

The people on board scanned as much as they could, and used Garek's knowledge (surprisingly useful) to work out the final details. In the end, it was up to Harry and the House Elves.

Major Kira had a request and Harry decided to honor it if possible. Dobby and Winky agreed.

When Harry and the elves returned to the surface along with Garek. Harry had one more command. "Your safety is the most important aspect. If there is _any_ question, leave. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Harry."

He nodded. "Okay. Pop in and finish the first step. And then step two, find a place that seems safe to pop us in as well." Harry and Garek were sporting magical disguises so that cameras would show unknown Cardassians. The Elves were not fooled.

Step one took an hour. Dobby and Winky both popped back at intervals to verify that they had been undetected so far: Magic defeated Cardassian tech easily.

When they were done, Dobby and Winky reported every detail they could. In the end, it was only five people. Harry cast five Portus spells and, once the elves popped them in, the portkeys were delivered without anyone the wiser.

Garek "Gul" was quick to enter information into the local keypad. Harry "Legate" was quick to ask questions and give directions. The elves popped back and the two disappeared after moving out of camera range.

All were back on the ship. "We have seven minutes."

Major Kira asked, "Were there any?"

"Four besides our original target," Harry said. "You do know that they might actually even have deserved it?"

She nodded. "But unless they were collaborators, I will ensure they get back to Bajor."

Just on time, the five started to appear. Harry and the elves quickly vanished any technology which was attached just in case it was tracking or remote controlled explosive devices.

There was no reason to take a chance. Garek looked over the five confused people. "There appears to be nothing left."

"Cheryl? Scan them. See what they need to be healthy." He said the codeword to return the unconscious Cardassian, "Terek Nor!" The man disappeared. He tapped his badge. "Martinez? Get us out of here, Warp Seven."

Harry had to stupefy two of the Bajorans but three were calmed down. He looked at the lone female. It wasn't time to tell her anything. "Okay. We just stole you from the Letau prison facilities on Letau. I did this to piss off a Cardassian named Gul Dukat." He smiled at their reaction. "I see we all agree how much of a bastard he is. Anyway. We're going to go back to Bajor, which is now free of Cardassian control if you were not told, and we can decide where to go from there. If you're guilty of crimes and deserved prison, you won't be put back in a Cardassian one. The Bajoran government might even commute any sentence. No matter what, the torture is over. Welcome to the BSS Bruce."

Harry glanced once more at the woman who thought she was Kira Nerys, Illiana Ghemor. He felt a deep satisfaction that he had denied the man his illicit plaything.


	30. Matters of Proper Care

Harry sat in his ready room with Cheryl Dawkins, Elim Garek, and Kira Nerys. The ship was on its way back to Deep Space 9.

Harry said, "My question is: How do we handle the five people we just stole from Cardassian custody?"

Major Kira said, "The woman who thinks she's me … it's hard to believe she's actually Cardassian."

Harry opened the panel covering the Marauder's Map and all three could see that the map identified her as "Iliana Ghemor" and the color of the ink showed she was Cardassian.

Garek looked over the map extensively. "This is quite a device. Especially with it showing the different names and races of all present."

Harry had a small smile. "That was the hardest thing to enchant actually. I had to go back to non-magical technology to figure that out. There are actually several inks the maps contain: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. The inks combine according to a specific formula based on what it reads as far as who is present. It is also harder because I had to enchant it to show the entire ship and not just a section at a time like my father's map for my school. Needless to say, it was quite difficult."

"What would I have to pay to have a copy of such a map for Deep Space 9?" Garek asked intently.

"Sorry. Not for sale. Anyway, I am showing this because it demonstrates that our guest is _not_ Bajoran." Harry turned and asked Cheryl. "Nurse Dawkins, how are the patients?"

Cheryl checked her notes. "All are suffering from some level of malnutrition. They each also have a number of scars which can be treated but it will take time. Three of them have lung scarring, two have anemia, each had bones that were broken and which healed incorrectly save Iliana – I suppose Dukat didn't want his plaything unable to perform – and all will likely need to be treated for damage to joints – two already are starting to experience arthritis."

"How much of that is treatable?" Harry asked.

"I'm only a nurse. I can treat the acute symptoms quite easily but they need actual medical care for some time. They also will need counseling. Iliana especially. The calming draughts you gave me to administer were effective – at least the two who thought we were tricking them calmed down enough to hear the truth. But your question needs to be answered by a doctor. From my understanding, eventually it's all treatable."

He looked at Major Kira. "I plan on questioning the four with truth serum. If the Cardassians were locking them up for rebelling, then I really don't care what the Cardassians think. If they were just murderers, than it's probably better we know now."

Major Kira asked, "Why tell me?"

Harry sighed. "You're the highest ranked Bajoran. I'll need to turn custody over in such a way that who rescued them won't be obvious."

Kira said, "We should protest the fact they were held, just like we protested when we rescued Li Nalas!"

Harry asked, "Do you want me to obliviate you? My part can't be known until I can present a healed Iliana Ghemor to testify against that bastard. And I figure that will likely take quite some time."

Garek, who had been listening, spoke. "What will you do with Iliana?"

Harry thought about it for a long moment. "I think I will take her to Vulcan or to Betazed. Both will have methods of recovering mental losses as well as having excellent doctors."

Cheryl said, "Vulcans are lacking in empathy. Rape trauma requires a certain empathy in their care."

Harry said, "But Iliana Ghemor is a Cardassian. When she remembers that, she will _not_ want be drowned in emotional care. The logic of the Vulcans will actually provide more stability for her."

Cheryl considered that. She turned to Garek. "What do you think?"

Garek paused. "I am not an expert in mental care. But Sir Harry does have a point: Cardassians are, culturally, less than trusting when those who have power over them are too emotionally pleasant. I would be waiting for a betrayal in such an environment."

Kira asked, "Even if you were being treated by someone like Bashir?"

Garek replied, "I would rather avoid such circumstances."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay. Whatever. Nurse Dawkins." Harry spoke formally. "In your professional opinion, is there any reason for Iliana Ghemor, currently identifying herself as Kira Nerys, to not be placed under the care of Vulcan medical practitioners?"

Cheryl Dawkins sighed. "No, Sir Harry. I can think of no professional reason to object."

Harry looked at Major Kira. "Who could take the four prisoners, once we make certain they are safe?"

"I'll have to think about it."

* * *

It was 15 hours into the 26 hour limit that Sisko had set for Major Kira to return. Harry called out, "Dobby! Drop the wards!"

Soon Dawkins reported, "Scanning relays now identify BSS Bruce."

"Set a course to Bajor and engage."

"Aye, Captain."

Major Kira asked, "Please put me in contact with Vekek Bareil." She had finally decided that the Vedek might be able to give her some help with who could accept the ex-prisoners.

When the man came on the screen he lit up when he saw the Major. "Nerys! I wasn't aware that it was you calling."

"Hello Antos," she said with a smile. Harry wanted to smirk but didn't. "I need your help."

"With?"

Harry interrupted. "Would you mind being transported up? I offer you the hospitality of my ship. I have to return Major Kira tomorrow morning at 8:00, but that's several hours away. You could consult with her here, and if you wish, I can even provide quarters overnight."

He hadn't misread things and the man was more than willing to visit and the major was more than willing to have him visit.

* * *

Harry was with Major Kira while Macmillan worked the transporters. Finally, Vedek Bareil appeared on the transporter dressed in his robes, carrying a small bag.

Harry stepped forward. "Vedek Bareil, I am Sir Potter, Commanding BSS Bruce. I am here to welcome you and offer you to my ship. I hope your stay with us is pleasant."

Bareil nodded. "Thank you. I am glad to be here to assist in any way I can."

Harry turned to Major Kira and he motioned toward the man. "Now you can molest him in greeting."

She rolled her eyes but did go to make her own hello.

Harry tapped his badge. "Potter to the bridge." Cheryl was "Nurse".

"Go ahead, Captain," Bill's voice came back.

"Set course for Deep Space 9. I don't want to dock necessarily, and you can tell them that Major Kira is still consulting but will be back on duty in the morning. But Mr. Garek wants to return to the station soonest. Inform him when we can transport him over."

"Aye, Captain."

Vedek Bareil listened to the story Harry and Kira explained. He finally asked, "So you just retrieved all Bajoran prisoners from their most secure prison."

"And one Cardassian woman who thinks she's Bajoran." At his worried expression Harry asked, "Should I have left them?"

Bareil sighed. "No. But I do worry about the peace process. While I may find everything the Cardassians stand for when it comes to Bajorans reprehensible, we _need_ to move on if we are ever going to heal. It's not the Cardassians that are the enemy – it's our unwillingness to concentrate on the future instead of regurgitating all of the horrors we had to endure."

Harry replied, "Spoken like a man of faith." He stopped both Bajorans from replying. "I need to figure out where to send them. My other choice is taking them to Vulcan as well."

Bareil said, "Let me talk to them."

"As long as you don't disabuse 'Kira' of what she thinks is her identity; she's not ready." Major Kira had agreed to stay out of sight at Harry's request.

"Understood."

Harry led the man to the infirmary, allowing Major Kira to arrange a dinner for herself and the Vedek. This proved to be good for those being treated: None had ever hoped to ever be reconnected to their faith and those who lead their worship of the Prophets.

Harry left him to it and withdrew. Sal Ramirez was left to act as guard with the help of one of the engineers.

Sal Ramirez had already told Harry he needed more people and Harry knew he was right. More stewards, security, etc. Dawkins still wanted someone else to be the XO – he preferred running Ops only. Harry really didn't have enough people yet.

After half an hour, Bareil came back out. "You've done a very good thing, Sir Harry."

"Thank you. What did you find?"

"They are all, apparently, political prisoners. All had committed what would be considered crimes by the Cardassians, but would likely not be considered criminals by our people."

Harry nodded. "Where do you recommend I send them?"

Bareil looked at Harry with an enigmatic smile. "I have thought about it. I posed a suggestion to them and they agreed it might be best."

"Oh?"

Bareil nodded. "None are ready to be returned to Bajor, even for healing. It's been too long. Your plan to visit Vulcan is good. All are willing to be questioned under your serum to verify they are only guilty of crimes against Cardassian controls. And, after they are healed, all would actually like to work for you."

Harry sighed. "They _do_ know that Bajor is free now, right?"

"They aren't ready to live there. Visit, yes. All of them accepted an invitation to visit my monastery. But all feel obligated to assist you as well. They see how short-handed you are and all have some training and experience."

Harry sighed. "I'll take them to Vulcan. After that? We'll see."

Bareil nodded in acknowledgement. "That's fine."

Harry paused. "I do want to make a request of you."

"Oh?" Baleil asked.

"I am looking for a trustworthy Bajoran to be Ship's Chaplain."

"I'm not familiar with the term." The two men walked toward the ship's lounge, where the meals were being prepared.

Harry tried to explain. "Where, and when, I'm from, Earth's ships usually had someone on board to look after the crew's spiritual health."

The Vedek was confused. "But your crew are all Human."

Harry waved that off. "Most Humans these days are Humanists, and are more likely to want to speak to a counselor. But chaplains weren't required to be of the same faith, only to respect the different beliefs and practices of any religious belief they may be confronted with. For example, a Catholic priest might give a Jewish prayer if it wasn't a violation of the Jew's belief, or recommend a rabbi who could be consulted if he couldn't help. Some Humans still have religious faith. I'm actually more comfortable having a man or woman of faith on hand to talk to people."

The Vedek looked thoughtful. Finally he asked, "Why look for a Bajoran?"

Harry shrugged. "I have a lot of respect for the Bajoran faith. I've met the Prophets, and I am a child of prophecy myself. And while I don't worship them, I do respect those that do. I've even sent a prayer to them myself." He stopped at looked at the man. "I just think that the Bajorans are probably the most truly faithful people that are available."

Vedek Bareil Antos looked at the Human. "You are an interesting man, Sir Harry Potter."

Harry shrugged. "Thanks?" He then led them man on.

Bareil smiled. "I will endeavor to find someone who is both faithful and flexible."

"Thank you. They'll have to sign contracts and prove their trustworthiness, but I'm not worried."

Curious, Bareil asked, "You trust contracts so much?"

Harry smirked. "Mine are magically enforced. You violate them, you lose everything you know of me and my operations. And if that happened to someone who worked for me, what happened after that wouldn't be pleasant, probably almost as unpleasant as what would happen to someone who threatened me."

Bareil and Harry entered the lounge where the meals would be eaten. "From what I know, you broke out these prisoners because a certain Cardassian was a threat in the past and it's part of a plan to pay him back."

"It is," Harry said with aplomb. "No one provokes me with impunity."

Baleil's eyebrow rose. "That sounds almost ominous."

Harry chuckled. "I am a Knight of the Thistle and the motto for the Order of the Thistle is: Nemo me impune lacessit. In English that is: No one provokes me with impunity. I am also a Wizard. And the Cardassian in question would have done well to study Earth wisdom regarding wizards before he tried to mess with me and mine."

Baleil sat next to Major Kira, who was watching and listening. He flashed her a smile and then asked Harry, "What is Earth wisdom regarding wizards?"

Harry turned and said with confidence, "_Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger._"

That actually caused those listening to pause. Major Kira finally said, "That is a phrase that is new to me, but I have noticed that you do tend to get angry when people violate your sense of propriety. You were as upset about the kidnapping by Federation citizens as you were the kidnapping by the Cardassians."

"Yes," Harry agreed. She was about to say something, "My freeing of prisoners is not the same thing. I didn't curtail anyone's freedoms."

Major Kira pointed out, "But someone will pay the price for them disappearing."

Harry replied, "I have to admit, you are right. Does my interference offend you?" he asked her archly.

She chuckled. "Not me. I'm fine."

Harry shot her a grin. "Have fun. Enjoy your stay. I'm going to get the ship locked down for the night. After we drop off Major Kira in the morning, I can drop you back on Bajor. Will that be acceptable, Vedek?"

"That will be acceptable," he replied calmly. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Harry nodded and withdrew. He was going to eat in his quarters after he got he ship secured for the night.

* * *

Harry coordinated with the station and got the ship parked, under its wards, in a position unlikely to be run into by other ships.

He did talk to a crew member who had made the request. "Mr. Blake. You wanted to see me," Harry said as he ran into the Engineer on the way to the crew quarters.

"Just call me Ollie, Captain."

Harry chuckled, "If you call me Harry when we're off duty."

He considered that. "I'll try," was all he would say. "But I'm glad I caught you."

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"Remember that our Bussard collectors continued working in and out of warp?"

"I do remember."

"Well, we've been running them pretty much day and night. And we're now running close to 90 percent on our deuterium tanks. And I already siphoned off a tank or two."

Harry stopped. "How? We were at 80.1 the last time I checked."

Ollie replied, "It's likely because we've been almost entirely within stellar systems. We have continued evacuating the collectors at 90 percent down to 25 percent. And when we're at high warp, it's as much out as in, but if we're below Warp 7 and we're in high traffic areas, we're going to be collecting more deuterium particles than we're using."

Harry finally answered, "I guess the enchantments to actually pull the deuterium rather than waiting until we run into it was effective."

"Yes. But I'd like to do something about it."

"Which is?" harry asked.

"Offload some of the deuterium. The warp core has enough for a couple of years. Worst case, we need to get some in a few months. But personally? I think we'll always be collecting more than we're using unless we end up way, way outside or normal traffic lanes."

"Okay. I'll authorize releasing twenty percent. If we get back to 90 percent quickly, next time I'll authorize more. But you need to get it transferred tomorrow."

"Oh?" Ollie asked.

"We're going to be off to Vulcan and then to Sol. Once I enchant the collectors and wards for Griffon, we're on our way back here."

Ollie shrugged. "That's fine. How fast will we go?"

Harry asked, "What speed is optimum in the opinion of the Chief Engineer?"

"We max out at 8.5 – Warp 8 would have been maximum except we have an improved engine due to the neutronium components. But I'd like to test a cruising speed of 7.5. Warp 7 was smooth – no inordinate stress. Warp 8 was slightly stressful, but we've also worked on aligning the drive better since then. If we can get 7.5 smooth as a cruising speed, we can try increasing it later."

"Works for me. We'll give 7.5 a shot on our way to 40 Eridani."

"40 Eridani?" Blake asked.

Harry said, "The old Earth name for the Vulcan system. Before we knew there was life out there."

Ollie asked with some amusement, "Why not call it the Vulcan system?"

Harry shrugged. "In school, I studied astronomy for five years. This was in 1991 to 1996. The Eridanus constellation is right next to Taurus. 40-Eridani, also known as Omicron-2 Eridani, is easily visible without telescopes. It was also known as Keid."

Ollie looked at Harry for a long moment and then said, "I'm an engineer, not a pilot."

Harry chuckled. "That's okay. As far as the tanks: Get the deuterium ready to deliver to Chief O'Brien tomorrow. We leave at 16:00 station time latest."

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

Major Kira was all smiles as she transported over to Ops at 7:50 in the morning. Sisko was waiting. "Welcome back, Major Kira."

"Thank you, Commander."

"I have a question, if you could answer." Kira looked interested. "How important was your presence to Sir Harry's errand?"

Major Kira considered that. "I think it was very important. I didn't do much – I was a witness – but I learned some things that I needed to know." She added casually, "He also brought Vedek Bareil to consult on the matter and I assisted with that."

Sisko replied, "Ah. Well. I can hope that you are now relaxed and ready to work?"

She grinned. "Very relaxed, Commander."

Sisko nodded. "Carry on."

* * *

Harry was in his chair. "Transport complete, Captain," Dawkins reported.

"Good. Martinez, set a course for Bajor."

Suddenly there was a quiet alarm. Harry looked at Dawkins. "Captain, a Cardassian ship is on the edge of sensor range."

Harry's eyes widened. "Dobby!"

The elf popped in. "Master Harry called?"

"Yes. Dobby." He looked at Martinez. "How long until the Cardassians get here?"

"Fifteen minutes but they will be in scanning range in five – close enough to scan for life signs on the ship anyway."

He looked at Dobby. "Immediately set up a wizard tent in the infirmary and then transfer all patients into it. I want the tent that scanners can't read in. Move!"

Dobby's face became intent. "Yes, Master Harry." He popped off. Harry also sent the order to Cheryl to cooperate.

Harry hit the panel on his chair. "Bridge to Ramirez."

"Go ahead."

"Ask Vedek Bareil to come to the Bridge. Inform him that we're misdirecting the Cardassians."

"Aye, Captain."

Three minutes later Dobby popped back in. "Patients are in tent, Master Harry. Winky is keeping it closed with our magic so that no sensors can see inside."

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Good. Thank you."

Bareil arrived just then. "Vedek? Why are you on the ship?"

"You asked me here for advice …."

"Advice as to a good candidate for a Chaplain."

Bareil looked at Harry for a moment. Dawkins called out, "Twenty seconds until the Cardassian ship is in sensor range."

"Thank you, Dawkins." Harry looked at Bareil.

"I am here regarding who would be a good fit as Chaplain," he said.

"Right."

Harry looked at Dawkins. "Can you tell if we get scanned?"

Dawkins replied, "I should be able to if it's more than passive scanning." His console beeped. "And we're being scanned, but not too aggressively."

"Don't do anything." He looked at Baleil. "So. Any ideas for a Chaplain?"

Bareil asked, "Would this person be holding services for the faithful?"

"Yes. If there are Bajorans who are serving, which is likely, he would lead their prayers."

"A prylar or a ranjen would be appropriate. A ranjen might be more appropriate for what you are asking, but they normally assist the Kai in her day to day functions. A prylar can hold services and would assist a vedek."

"Scanning is complete." Dawkins pushed a button. "Call coming in from the Cardassian ship."

"On screen."

On the forward screen Gul Dukat appeared. "Sir Harry Potter. Now that I can travel without stealth, I decided I needed to come and consult with Commander Sisko regarding the Maquis threat. As an Earth diplomat, I thought that your presence might have value."

"Thank you, Gul Dukat. However, after I finish consulting the good vedek here regarding a personnel matter and complete some logistics, I will be traveling back toward the center of the Federation on other matters. But I do wish you luck on handling the situation. It certainly sounds like it will get messier before it gets resolved."

"Thank you for your good wishes." Dukat paused. "If you could resolve a personal curiosity …"

"Go ahead."

"Why would you need to speak to a vedek regarding personnel?"

Harry chuckled. "I plan on bringing in an array of races, including Bajorans. I was talking to him about a possible spiritual consultant for my future crew members, a chaplain if you will."

Dukat was taken aback. "That sounds odd to me, an unnecessary luxury."

Harry replied, "Religiosity can be a balm for the soul, regardless of the particular faith. I don't find it a luxury to have a man or woman of faith to consult with. I find it a necessity."

"Well. To each his own," Dukat replied.

"Yes. Well, as I said. I have matters to resolve. But you have yourself a good day, Gul Dukat."

"Thank you. Good day to you, Sir Harry Potter."

The feed cut. "Set course for Bajor – let's get the good vedek dropped off."

"Aye, Captain."

Harry looked at Bareil who said, "That was not pleasant."

"No. There are a number of reasons I dislike Gul Dukat. His smarminess is just one."

Bareil asked, "Smarminess?"

"Smarmy means having a false earnestness – I thought it a good description for the mask Cardassians are taught to wear. Even Garek, who I like, tends to come across as smarmy."

Bareil considered that. Under his breath he muttered, "Like Winn Adami."

Harry coughed and then said, "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Bareil realized his faux pas. "No. I'm sorry. I was thinking too loudly."

"It's fine. I didn't hear anyway, Vedek Bareil. So. Your monastery."

"Yes. That is my destination," Bareil said calmly.

* * *

Harry sent the man off with a smile and a gift of chamomile and other teas and tea blends, each labeled. Dobby and Winky had put together several such packages for him to give as gifts. They were held under stasis until Harry asked for them.

Purists would tell him that some of them were not teas but tisanes or herbal infusions –hibiscus, rose petal, and willow bark were in that list – but the average person just called them all "teas." Harry had also gotten the elves to scan and program the different ingredients into the Starfleet replicator database.

After transporting the Vedek down, Harry made certain Winky and Cheryl were taking care of the Bajoran patients and explained that a Cardassian ship had arrived and scanned them. The tent was magical and prevented the scan and they were appreciative of that.

* * *

They were exiting Bajor's orbit when Harry spoke. "Dawkins. Get me a line to Chief Miles O'Brien on Deep Space 9."

"Aye, Captain."

Soon Miles' face was on the screen. "Sir Harry. What can I do for you?"

"Chief. I was wondering if you could take something off of our hands."

"What's that?" he asked.

"My Chief Engineer has been working the Bussard collectors and somehow has an excess of deuterium. Could you perhaps accept a few canisters to ensure we are not overfull?"

Miles' face showed surprise. "Deuterium? I definitely have a use for it."

"Good. We're going to be going on to Sol after a quick stop at Vulcan. I'd like to get these offloaded before then. We'll be back at the station within the hour."

"Okay then. I'll free up some space. Call me when you're ready to offload."

"Will do, Chief." He cut the feed. "Okay. Now get me on the line with Sisko."

"Aye, Captain."

Sisko was about to meet with Dukat, which irritated him. "Is there something you need, Sir Harry?"

"I apologize for interrupting. I need to make a trip to Sol via Vulcan. I will be on the fast side. Is there anything you need taken there or that you want brought back?"

"What does 'the fast side' mean?"

"My ship collects more particles than it leaves behind and therefore doesn't increase the instability of subspace by traveling at warp. At higher warp, it comes out nearly even. The warp 5 limitations have no meaning for me. I will be talking to the Federation about that when I'm there. And so it won't be seven weeks for me to go there and come back. It will be closer to three. Maybe four."

Sisko considered that. "When are you leaving?"

"I originally had decided on 16:00 station time. If that's too soon, let me know as soon as you can."

"I'll be in touch."

As it was, a few Starfleet personnel needed to travel back to Earth. Harry had the room but requested that they take care of their own quarters – there were no extra stewards. That was acceptable.

The lounge, holodeck, and other facilities were available.

* * *

Harry noticed that the Cardassian ship seemed to rush off. Harry contacted Sisko. "What was that about? I thought Dukat wanted to meet with you."

"I mentioned to him that you were leaving at 16:00 when he requested I ask you to be involved again. After a completely useless meeting, his ship somehow contacted him saying they needed to leave. Funny. We didn't pick up any subspace communications."

Harry chuckled. "I will be activating wards and then moving on an unexpected route. I'd rather not get invited to visit Cardassia." He paused. "Does Jadzia need anything dropped off at Trill? We can go there first."

"I'll ask her," Sisko replied.

As it was, all that needed to go to Sol were some technical specs from O'Brien which would assist in designing replacement parts for the fusion reactor which could increase their power output for shields and weapons. He had handed the data over during the delivery, for which he expressed sincere thanks.

Harry realized it was nuetronium parts O'Brien would receive. Harry planned on advising him to also keep the old parts, just in case.

Harry had brewed a few potions to replenish a core. These were not the same potions they had used. These would be better for him and allow him to give his elves more. Besides enchanting the Griffon's Bussard collectors, Harry and the elves were going to break apart another neutronium block which had been delivered.

Smaller amounts, not as solid, had also been delivered in pieces which didn't require magic to break them apart. The faults the neutronium had could be exploited with phasers/disruptors/explosives. Any neutronium which could be retrieved that way was useful and half a cubic meter of the material had been processed that way.

Saws made from neutronium had allowed another cubic yard to be cut up. Magic would only be required when the nuetronium was solid, without fault, and not susceptible to other means to break it. There were about two cubic yards in that state Harry was hoping breaking the outer shell would expose faults within.

* * *

Harry was nearly ready to shove off. "We have another stop to make." He entered in some information. "Set course for those coordinates, quarter impulse."

Martinez replied, "Aye, Captain."

Dawkins called up the path. "The belt again."

"Yep. Two ward stones. We'll use them back at Sol. I'm going to pick up basalt and granite blocks there so that I can make more."

* * *

They were picking up the second block when Harry received a call. "Call coming in from Deep Space 9." Dawkins hit a button. "It's on a secure channel."

"Put it on screen."

On the screen, the image of Elim Garek appeared. "Sir Harry. I need to speak to you."

"I have a suspicion it's regards things these people know. So go ahead."

"It's just as well." He glanced around where he was calling from and his voice became quieter. "An alert has gone out from Cardassia, from the Central Command. Five high level prisoners have disappeared from a prison facility. They suspect _you_ are involved."

"Do they have any proof?" Harry asked.

"No." Garek had a certain satisfaction when he said that. "My contact was clear on that. They _suspect _you because something _similar_ happened at the Hutet labor camp and they are aware that you were involved _there_. I would be very cautious about any travels beyond Bajoran space if I were you."

Harry chckled. "Not ready to come and try to detain me directly?"

"No. That would alert the Federation and the Bajoran governments. Currently they are more interested in keeping this _quiet_, if you understand." Garek peered at Harry in a way that emphasized his words.

"I understand. I'll be careful. But thank you for your assistance."

"Just making idle conversation. But I see that you are busy. Have a good trip." The screen cut off.

Harry sighed. "Let's finish this."

* * *

Soon, the second stone was on board. Harry had the wards raised.

"What's the time?"

"17:12 station time. 11:49 Federation Standard."

"Okay. Set course 092 mark 25, full impulse."

"092 mark 25, aye."

Harry watched as the Bruce deliberately left the orbital plane of the Bajoran system. "Change course heading 120 mark 70."

"120 mark 70, aye."

The Bruce was now on a random direction out of the Bajoran system. "How long until we clear the inner Bajoran system?"

"Twelve minutes, Captain."

"When we clear the inner system, set a course for Trill, warp 7.5."

"Trill, Warp 7.5, aye."

Simpson, on the engineering panel, asked, "Why Trill, Captain? There's nothing we're doing there."

Harry nodded. "If you check the map, Trill is almost 180 opposite of Cardassian space when you're in the Bajoran system. A number of routes from the station are close to or go through, no matter how briefly, Cardassian space. I'm not taking any chanced. In twenty minutes, we're going to change course for Vulcan. But we'll be off of the line from Deep Space 9 to Vulcan and on a line from nowhere to Vulcan. Less chance of being caught."

Harry turned to Dawkins. "Any Cardassian ships in scanning range?"

"There are some ships of unknown configuration outside of the system but not near the route we are on. If we want to know what type, we would have to tie in to the Federation sensor relays and that could cause some indication of our position. The ships do not conform to any scheduled courses registered at Deep Space 9."

Harry said, "Better safe than sorry. Good call on not linking in to the relays. We'd have to prove our identity and that's too much of a chance."

There were sensor relays throughout known known space. Some relays were for Starfleet only, some were accessible by any ship. The Starfleet relays allowed for more details but your computer had to send an identifying "handshake" and that did give some indication as to general location.

Soon, the ship was at warp.

Harry opened a channel. "Bridge to Blake."

"Go ahead, Captain."

"How are the engines at 7.5?"

"Just the tiniest bit of strain. We're realigning the drive and hope to be able to set that as cruising speed." There was a pause. "If we can't realign, I will request we drop until there is no strain."

"Okay. I'll give you an hour. Let me know."

"Aye, Captain."

Simpson linked up with the Chief Engineer and there was some frenetic activity interspaced with watching and waiting.

At 47 minutes there was a call. "Engineering to the Captain."

"Go ahead."

"I can report that we've achieved cruising speed at 7.5. Maximum speed is calculated at Warp 8.67."

"Well done, Chief Engineer. And pass that on to the entire Engineering crew."

"I'll pass that on. Engineering, Out."

Harry stood up. "Okay. Dawkins. In fifteen minutes, change course for Vulcan, warp 7.5 You have the con. Call me if there are any troubles."

"Yes, Sir."


	31. Arrival to Vulcan

A/N: For the reviewer who says I'm trolling you all … maybe I am.

Harry is new to the environment. Still under two years. He thinks he'll be a businessman. He thinks he'll be a constable. He's going to be a diplomat. He thinks he'll be a ship captain. He doesn't frecking know.

He thinks a Vulcan wife sounds great, but maybe he'll end up with a Human or a Romulan or a Bajoran. He doesn't frecking know. Right now his interludes are just to get him laid.

His ships are just because he was in a war and the whole situation reminds him of Magical Britain too much and he thinks "what would be really good if …." He started the Griffon project on hope and a vague idea. It just happened to work out because the elves could break down neutronium and suddenly he's rich in Federation terms. Even if he doesn't get a huge amount of money.

He's applying the basic strategy of anyone who is scrabbling to survive: Fake it till you make it. You just happen to see him as his mental process matures.

Oh. And there's a poll in my profile about this story. Please vote.

* * *

The trip to Vulcan would take some time, as Vulcan was close to Earth in the way that Trill was actually fairly close to Bajor. On a two dimensional map it looked closer, but one had to travel some distance.

Two days into the trip, Harry took the time to get to know the ex-prisoners. Veritaserum had confirmed they had committed acts of violence but their actions had been in support of the Bajoran Resistance.

The Bajoran government would declare them heroes if they were told of their being freed.

Harry and Cheryl had conferred and finally Harry had to do something which he hadn't yet done. He stoon in the middle of sickbay and said, "Computer. Activate EMH."

The man appeared. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

Harry looked at the hologram and said, "The emergency is that I am the Captain and we have no Chief Medical Officer who is a trained physician. The on-duty nurse requires a consult."

"What kind of consulting is needed?" the holo-doctor asked with an acerbic tone.

Harry motioned Nurse Dawkins forward. "We have five people retrieved from a Cardassian prison. They have infirmaries which require long term treatment and I need a doctor's directions as to how to proceed long term."

Harry observed for a moment and then interrupted. "Doctor." The hologram turned. "I am the captain and owner of this ship, which is an Earth diplomatic vessel. How closely do you have to follow my orders?"

The doctor replied, "I am to follow the order and directions of the medical crew members, and if there is none higher than myself in training – I have the collected knowledge of thousands of doctors – than I am to follow standard medical procedures. In terms of authority, I do have to follow your orders."

"Good. Here's an order. No more snide remarks about the lack of training of the nurse. She wasn't hired because she's a trauma or long-term-care nurse. She was hired because she's an experienced Ships's Nurse. She can treat plasma burns, common illnesses, and knows how to read diagnostic equipment. We are well aware she isn't trained in this type of care. That is why _you_ were activated. So. I am ordering you to keep your observations to yourself unless you think it will actually improve the patients' care."

The hologram looked at Harry for a long moment. "Yes, Captain."

"Good. Carry on."

Harry did notice that the Hologram was visibly holding back but as long as he wasn't actually being a dick, Harry didn't care.

Harry also decided he needed to hire a real doctor.

At the end, the EMH verified that they were doing all they could with the equipment at hand and that longer-term care would take care of the issues.

When it was all done Harry looked at Cheryl. "Sorry he was so obnoxious to you."

Cheryl shrugged. "I've actually heard worse. Doctors can be quite egocentric and impressed with their own abilities."

Harry chuckled. That described Julian Bashir to a T.

* * *

The ship was three days out of Vulcan and Harry decided to get matters progressing. He went to his ready room and signaled Dawkins. "Get me a subspace channel to the Vulcan Ministry of Health."

"Yes, Captain."

It took a few minutes but soon he was on a video connection with a woman named, of all things, Fair. "I am Fair, a member of the Vulcan Ministry of Health. How may we serve?"

Harry kept his occlumency shield locked tight. "I wish to inquire as to how to obtain the services of Vulcan Healers, both those who treat the physical infirmities as well as those who treat mental issues as well."

The woman asked, "Are you a member of Starfleet?"

"No. I am Sir Harry Potter of Great Britain, Earth. I have diplomatic status through the Traditional Royal Family of Great Britain, but I am not a member of any Federation delegation. I expect to provide some recompense to those who assist."

"How many patients?" the woman asked.

"Five."

"What conditions?"

"I assume there is some discretion involved with consulting the Ministry of Health. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"I have five people who were taken as political prisoners by the Cardassians during the Bajoran occupation. They recently were retrieved from Cardassian custody, though that is a matter which is not being widely discussed and I ask that it not be discussed with those not needing to know. The Cardassians do not know how they were retrieved. One is a woman who also was subjected to repeated sexual assault. She was originally programmed by the Cardassian Obsidian Order as a sleeper agent after surgically being modified to look Bajoran. She was then captured by a family member's political enemies. She is not aware of her Cardassian identity and thinks she is a Bajoran woman. Her memories will have to be released in addition to receiving physical and mental care."

Fair blinked at the information. "I will review the possible practitioners who would be sufficiently trained to deal with what you have described. You will need to contact me again in 24 standard hours. By that time I should have the information you are requesting."

"Thank you."

"Before we end this conversation, I have a question." The woman did look mildly curious.

"Please ask."

"You indicated the information was a matter of discretion but then gave me much more information than might be expected from a Human. Can you explain why you told me so much?"

"I am attempting to respect the Vulcan adherence to logic. It wouldn't be logical to withhold details which might prove vital to locating suitable care."

Fair replied, "It is as you say. I will expect to hear from you tomorrow. Live long and prosper."

"Peace and long life." The channel cut off.

* * *

Later that day Oliver Blake came to see him. "Captain. Do you mind if I had a word?"

"Sure. Here or my ready room?"

Blake considered. "The ready room might be easier."

"Dawkins, you have the con."

"Aye, Captain."

Harry and Ollie moved into the office. "Okay. What's this about?" Harry asked as he sat at his desk and motioned Blake to a chair.

"Remember how we ended up with extra deuterium? You asked how that could be and I answered it was likely because we were in a lot of stellar systems?"

"I remember. It made sense."

"I think I was wrong."

Harry's eyes widened a moment. "Why do you think that?"

Blake sighed. "Because I don't understand magic?"

"What does magic have to do with it – other than the fact that it calls the particles to be collected?"

"Remember how we had a limited ability to collect when we moved at warp 8 to Trill?" Harry nodded. "We assumed that high warp used more than we could collect and left it at that."

"Right."

"Well, we're at 7.5 and we're collecting enough that I'm tempted to turn off the collectors."

"How?" Harry asked.

"I think it's your wards." Blake paused. "How do your wards act in relation to normal space?"

Harry considered. "The Muggle-repelling aspect makes anyone seeing the ship view it as something lesser – possibly junk or broken rock. The unplottability make it impossible to put the ship's location on a map."

"Do these wards make it so that we're not in physical space?"

"No." Harry replied. He then paused. "Well – there is one thing I did add to my wards."

Ollie sat forward. "And that is …"

Harry sighed. "There is a charm I wanted to try called the Fidelius Charm. It hides a secret within a living being designated the secret keeper. Properly cast, no one not in the know could find us. If you put it on a house, someone not in the know would walk around the spot even if they thought they walked right through."

Blake asked, "And if someone knew?"

"The ship, or whatever is protected, would be visible and one could interact."

Blake said, "That doesn't make sense. People who don't know would walk right through it and people who did could see a house under the charm?"

"Right."

"So is the house in real space or not?" Ollie asked plaintively.

Harry was about to answer but stopped himself. He remembered how 12 Grimmauld Place seemed to push the other houses aside when he was told the secret. But the residents of those houses still didn't see the house or the lot it was on.

Finally he replied, "I don't know. It's magic. It works."

"You don't know if we're in real space or subspace?" Blake asked incredulously.

"We _should_ be in real space. I didn't activate the Fidelius aspect. I did put the required Runes on the stone but I didn't tie them in. If someone fired a weapon right at us, it would hit."

Ollie chuckled ruefully. "I'm not so sure." At Harry's confusion he said, "Somehow, I think you opened the threshold between real space and subspace. And because we're in warp, it's even more open. I think the interaction of your ward, our warp bubble, and real space has caused the enchantments on the collectors to pull all available particles from all spaces. Which means they are collecting four times faster than if we were just at warp or just under the ward."

Harry was shocked. "How does that work?"

Ollie snorted. "You just said that it was magic and you didn't know."

"Oh, yeah," he said with amusement. "The reason magic can be hard is that sometimes shite works or doesn't work and it doesn't lend itself to rationale explanation."

Ollie asked, "So if you repeated the ward on another ship, it would do the same?"

Harry chuckled. "Maybe. We would hope. Possibly not, but likely."

"What about a yes or no?"

Harry shrugged. "Not always possible with magic."

Ollie stood up. "Well, I'm going to leave the collectors open until we hit 95 percent, which is unlikely. But if we do, I'm turning it off until we offload some."

"Plan approved. Dismissed."

Blake gave him a sloppy salute and left.

* * *

At a predetermined distance from Vulcan, Harry gave the order. "Reduce speed to Warp 5."

"Warp 5, Aye."

They watched as the starfield changed subtly. "We are now at Warp 5, Captain," Martinez reported.

"Good. Dobby! Ward down!" Dobby heard the magical call. For some reason it worked when it really shouldn't. But that was likely because Dobby and Harry were inordinately close.

Lars asked, "Can we work on the remote ward while we're here"

"Yes." Lars didn't like that someone magical had to be at the ward stone to turn it off and on. He was attempting to make it controllable with something taking the place of a Ward Book. Harry had told him to go nuts and try his best.

Dawkins reported, "Scanning relays report BSS Bruce on scanners."

"Time until we reach the Vulcan system?"

"1.57 standard hours, Captain," Martinez called out.

"Excellent. Carry on."

Harry was certain there were one or two ships and other installations which would be scanning them to determine who they were. Harry had asked the Health Ministry worker, Fair, to inform the proper authorities as to their scheduled arrival.

* * *

It was two hours later when Harry had the BSS Bruce in a geosynchronous orbit above the Ministry of Health and he was talking to Fair, who had directed him. "Captain Potter. Welcome to Vulcan space. I would request that you come down and consult with me directly before I can direct you to the healers that have been designated to receive your patients."

"May I ask why I need to come down and consult first?"

"Yes. Although the treatment is confidential, the fact that the patients had been in a Cardassian prison required a discrete report to the V'Shar. A single agent has been briefed but he must interview first you and then the patients to ensure that Vulcan security is not compromised. That agent has not been briefed on the medical necessities due to privacy laws and confidentiality practices."

Harry considered that. "Understood. If he needs to speak to both myself and the patients, would it not be more logical for him to come here?"

"If you come here, he can assess the circumstances. If he was to come there, he would need to bring an additional security officer as regulations would require. Your arrival here is better for patient confidentiality."

"Understood. Can you show me the images of the area I can transport to?"

Fair looked curious but showed him the images. Harry stood up. "Dawkins. You have the con."

"Aye, Captain."

Harry concentrated and then apparated to the surface, only slightly complicated by the increased gravity.

* * *

He was now on a transporter pad and another Vulcan stood there. "Captain Potter of the Bruce?"

"Yes."

"I was told you were arriving, though I did not detect a transporter signal."

"Transporters are uncomfortable for me, though I can use them. I prefer to move using my own abilities."

The man looked very curious but he said, "Follow me."

Harry left the room and was presently brought to Fair and another man. "Welcome, Captain Potter. This is Lypav of the V'Shar, the Vulcan Intelligence Service."

Harry nodded respectfully. "Agent Lypav."

Lypav asked the transporter tech. "Did you detect a transport?"

"No."

Lypav looked at Harry. "You were easily viewed on screen by Fair and then disappeared. You appeared immediately in this building with no apparent transporter signal. How?"

"Magic."

Lypav replied, "Magic is not logical."

"Do you have a tricorder?"

"Yes."

"Scan me."

The man pulled it out and scanned. "Watch." Harry apparated to the other end of the room. "Over here."

Lypav said, "There is an energy spike but I can not identify it."

"Magic."

"Can you demonstrate again?"

Harry looked around. Vulcans didn't have much in an office. He saw a cushion. "Please place that on the floor." Fair did so. "Scan it." Lypav did that. Harry pulled his wand and transfigured it to a kitten.

Lypav said, "Fascinating." He scanned it again and then looked at Harry. "That is not logical."

"Magic is _not_ logical." Harry picked up the kitten and pet it. He handed it to Fair. "Is it living?"

She looked it over carefully. "It appears to."

Harry hid his smirk and cast a spell. It turned back to a cushion. "Not really."

Lypav blinked. "Let us discuss the matter at hand." Harry did so. "I am willing to interview the patients on your ship to verify."

Harry sighed. "I'd rather you not, because they have already suffered trauma and they are not Vulcans. Are you willing to meld with me to verify?"

"There is no danger due to magic?" Lypav asked without emotion.

"No. It will be easier because I can direct you to the memories and their validity will be obvious."

Lypav cocked his head. "You are Human?"

"Yes; a subspecies from a different timeline. We are called Wizards and Witches. Magical people."

Lypav said, "I will meld with you. Fair will monitor."

"Acceptable."

Harry was able to direct him to the memories of what had occurred and the diagnosis. Harry also allowed him to view the rationale he had given regarding Vulcan. The meld ended.

Lypav stood up. "That will be sufficient. I am satisfied that neither you nor those you have brought are a threat to Vulcan."

"Thank you."

"You may proceed with your business. If we have further questions, we will contact you."

"Fine. Please stay for a moment." He turned to Fair. "The treatment, where will it take place?"

Fair called up the location on her computer. "This is the location. It is a retreat for those requiring more private care."

Harry asked, "Is there a field or landing area nearby, large enough for a ship?"

Lypav interrupted. "The purpose of your inquiry."

"I took control of the Bruce a while ago. One thing I have not tried is Condition Blue, the procedure for landing. As Vulcan is friendly and away from Cardassian and other possible prying eyes, I wanted to test it here. I also wanted to test it under my unplottability wards. It would be helpful if a member of the Vulcan Intelligence Ministry was present to ensure I was not violating Vulcan law in doing so."

"What are unplottability wards?"

"They act as a cloaking device. I have heard that James Kirk once landed a Klingon Bird of Prey on Vulcan and I believe he used the cloak, though I could be wrong. That was my precedent."

Lypav cocked his eyebrow. "I will contact my superiors for permission."

Harry nodded. He had been wanting to land the Bruce, and made sure the crew could. But landing on Bajor would have caused a stir and made him vulnerable to too many non-Federation races who visited DS9. Vulcan was out of sight, far inside Federation space, and had far less traffic than Earth ever did.

Lypav came back. "They have authorized it as long as I am present on the ship to monitor."

"Acceptable."

Fair stood up. "I will also travel with you to the retreat and provide introductions."

Harry asked, "Would you like to transport or travel by magic?"

Both looked at each other and then at Harry. "Magic."

Harry suppressed his smirk. He tapped his badge. "Potter to the Bruce."

After a moment the voice came back, "Go ahead, Captain."

"Ensure the landing bay is free. I am apparating there with one visitor and another is arriving by portkey."

After a pause Dawkins said, "Understood."

Harry looked around. He finally asked Lypav, "Do you have a badge or some item you normally carry?"

Lypav withdrew his identification card. "I carry this."

Harry tapped his wand to the ID. "Portus Excitant Bruce." The item glowed. He handed it to Lypav. "This is a portkey. It will activate when you say the name of my ship. You will feel a hooking sensation in your navel, that is normal. Move your legs as though walking – this will allow you to land on your feet. Any questions?"

He paused. "How will Fair travel?"

"I will apparate with her. I can only take one."

"Acknowledged."

He looked at Fair. "Would it offend you if I took hold of your shoulder or arm? I have my mental shields locked down – you will feel no mental leakage."

Fair considered this. "No, that is acceptable."

Harry moved close and took her arm. He concentrated and they disappeared with a loud pop. Lypav's eyebrow rose. "Bruce." He disappeared in a vortex.

Harry appeared right in the middle of the bay. After ensuring Fair was steady he stepped back. "Nothing missing?"

Fair's eyebrows rose and she visually checked herself. "No." She looked at him. "Was there a danger of that?"

"It's called splinching. I have actually never splinched. But it is a real danger if one doesn't concentrate properly. With magic, it is easily fixed. I have reattached fingers of those who splinched."

Just then Lypav appeared. Harry was impressed because he landed almost gracefully. "Welcome to the Bruce. How long between our disappearance and your activation of the portkey?"

"1 second."

Harry nodded. "That's interesting. We arrived twenty seconds ago. I was now aware of the difference in time. Something to remember."

Lypav said, "That was moderately uncomfortable."

Fair said, "As was apparating. I felt as though I had been compressed into a tube."

"I felt a hook had taken hold of my torso."

"Magic does take energy and my people get used to the sensations. After a while, you don't even feel them."

"Fascinating."

* * *

They walked back to the lift and then onto the bridge. "This ship appeared very much like a standard Starfleet vessel," Lypav observed.

"It is based on the Nova design but modified to be closer in appearance to the Intrepid class. We had to sacrifice some rooms normally designated Science stations, but as a diplomatic yacht, it is more than acceptable."

They got to the bridge. Dawkins stood up when he arrived. "Welcome back, Sir Harry."

"Thank you. Martinez. Fair will give you directions to the area of the medical retreat. Please follow her directions until we are in orbit over the spot."

"Aye, Captain."

While Martinez did that he turned to Dawkins. "We're going to do a few things but Lypav here is from the V'Shar. He'll be monitoring. If he needs to make a call, do it for him."

"Yes, Captain."

Harry looked at Lypav. "I have a curiosity and you can help me."

"Yes?" the Vulcan asked.

"The Vulcans have the V'Shar. The Romulans have the Tal'Shiar. Both are from the same stock. Are those two names of a common linguistic base?"

Simpson gasped. "Captain!"

He looked at her. "What?"

She actually was slightly embarrassed at having spoken. "That could be construed as offensive."

Harry considered that. Finally he said, "Vulcans don't express emotions. They don't get offended. If it's taboo, he could say 'We do not discuss such issues.' But not asking because one might offend isn't logical when dealing with Vulcans."

Lypav nodded once in agreement. He then addressed Harry. "My answer is: I don't know. I am not familiar enough with the Romulan language to answer with any certitude."

"Thank you."

Simpson went back to her duties. Harry would have to tell her later that he hadn't meant to sound remonstrative. He had mentally converted to Vulcan norms and he was still in that mindset.

* * *

About ten minutes later Martinez reported, "We are in orbit over the retreat."

"Good." He looked at Dawkins. "Scan for the closest empty field at least 300 meters long."

Dawkins blinked but found one. It was only two kilometers from the retreat. "Okay." He called out, "Dobby! Activate Wards!"

Dobby popped in. "Master Harry."

"Yes?"

"I helped Lars fix it. You can now order Master Bill to activate wards with the key."

He turned to Dawkins. He picked up a neutronium covered rod. "We worked on it and Dobby used his permissions to allow this top be put in. If I put it in this hold," he pointed, "it's active. If I pull it or if it's in this hold," he pointed, "the wards are off."

Harry nodded. "Nice. Okay. Activate ward." He looked at Dobby. "Well done, Dobs. Well done." Dobby grinned happily and popped off.

Dawkins dropped the rune-covered rod into the holder. He then scanned. "Scanner relays no longer track BSS Bruce."

Lypav commented, "Fascinating."

Harry grinned. He hit the general alert button. "All hands. Prepare shit for Condition Blue. All Hands: Condition Blue."

There was an impressive amount of frenetic calls and operations but soon all stations reported ready. "Martinez. Land the Bruce on that beautiful field."

"Landing the Bruce, Aye."

Martinez called out several reports. All Harry could say was "Steady as she goes."

After about twenty minutes, the Bruce's landing struts were touching down in the field of hard-packed dirt on the Vulcan surface. After a long moment Martinez reported, "Captain. Computer reports that we are landed and are stably on surface."

"Well done!" He hit the general alert panel again. "All hands. This is Sir Harry. The Bruce is now on the surface of Vulcan. Well done to all for the first successful landing. No one may disembark without permission. That is all."

He hit his comm again. "Bridge to Nurse Dawkins."

"Go ahead."

"Prepare the five patients to be transferred to Vulcan care."

"Yes, Captain."

Harry stood. "Let's go find the ramp." He turned to Dawkins. "I forgot. Dawkins. Deactivate Wards."

"Aye, Captain."

Dawkins hit is thumb on the flap which caused it to open. He pulled the rod. "Wards deactivated." He then dropped the rod into the other holder and closed the lid.

"Thank you." He moved over to the system attached to the console. "What's with the pad?"

"It only opens for you and other Bridge personnel. In case we get invaded."

Harry snickered. "And then we have the Tribble protocols."

Lypav asked, "What are the Tribble protocols?"

Harry thought about it. "Anti intruder security." He clapped his hands. "NOW let's go find the ramp."

* * *

Harry found that there was a personnel ramp and a loading ramp. "This is perfect." He raised his voice. "Dobby!"

Dobby popped in. "Master Harry called?"

He was grinning. "Please tell me we didn't drop our Land Rover into storage."

Dobby thought a moment. "We did not drop our Land Rover into storage."

"Yes!"

The Vulcans were the most confused but even Dawkins, who had followed, was curious. "Land Rover?"

Harry grinned. "Dobby. Go get Winky and the trunk with the vehicle. Please place it right here in front of this ramp."

"Yes, Master Harry."

"We need to get out of the way."

"Land Rover?" Dawkins asked once more.

"It's an automobile from my home society. However, I magicked up the engine so that it doesn't pollute. I actually brought two of them – one is a muscle car which I bought for fun. The Land Rover is a truck to move supplies and people."

Lypav asked, "How large is this vehicle?"

"5 meters long, about 2 meters wide, about 2 meters tall."

Lypav considered that. "How many can it hold?"

Harry thought about it. "Originally? Probably 4 without extra effort, six if we squeezed in. I modified it though."

Dawkins asked, "Why are you so excited?"

Harry grinned. "I brought two automobiles with me. I spent money on them. I spent time. I used a bunch of magic. And except a little on Earth, I haven't been able to use them. They will be ideal to move the patients once we've gotten permission." He turned to Fair. "Do they know we're coming?"

"Yes. They have already authorized their arrival."

Harry grinned. He tapped his badge. "Potter to Nurse." Dawkins was Bill.

"Go ahead."

"Get your five patients down to Cargo Bay 5 on Deck 8. That is where the loading ramp is and where we disembark."

"Aye Captain."

Dobby and Winky popped in. Winky looked. "Where is it leaving, Master Harry?"

Harry went to the controls and opened the bay. The ramp dropped and extended down. It was more than strong enough to hold a Land Rover. "There."

Winky and Dobby worked and soon the gleaming black vehicle was prepared. Harry opened the door and, turning the key, started it. He got out. You could barely hear it run.

"Is it quieter than it was before you modified it?"

Harry thought about it. "No. It is actually burning a fluorocarbon. However, the fuel is created magically and the residue is vanished magically. All that actually comes out is a little bit of air. And even that is cooled with a cooling charm. This was standard for vehicles owned by the Ministry of Magic. And even though Vulcan's air is thinner it doesn't matter: There is a spell which makes sure there is enough oxygen. This could, if necessary, work below water."

Dawkins said, "That's not how it was originally designed."

"Nope. That's magic."

* * *

The five patients finally arrived and Harry was happy to see that all were starting to lose that haggard look. He opened the back door. "Okay. Everyone in."

Dawkins was the first one – he wanted to see it. He had gotten permission, called and alerted Martinez he was in charge. He called out. "This is huge!"

Harry grinned and motioned the others to enter. The people who had the biggest problems were, of course, the Vulcans. "This is not logical," Fair said again as she looked inside.

"This is _not_ logical. This is magic."

Finally Harry got in with Fair set into the passenger seat. "Let's hope the magically reinforced suspension keeps this smooth." Fair just sat there confused.

With a grin, Harry drove the Land Rover down the ramp and, following directions, they arrived at the gate of the retreat in about 2 minutes.

Harry sighed. "That was far too short." He looked at Fair. "What here please."

He got out and went to the Vulcan waiting. "I have the representative of the Ministry of Health, Fair, as well as the five patients she said were coming. My name is Sir Harry Potter, Captain of the BSS Bruce."

The Vulcan nodded. "Please have those within that … vehicle exit."

"Okay."

Harry turned and walked back. He opened Fair's door and then the back door, on the opposite side of where they had entered. All trooped out. Cheryl led the patients over. "My name is Cheryl Dawkins and I am turning them over to your care?"

Two more Vulcans arrived and matters were arranged. Cheryl turned over their medical records and Harry discussed what he knew and what his concerns were.

Fair and Lypav had spoken. Fair finally had one question. "Sir Harry?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"I am not familiar with the title Sir. But that is not my immediate concern. Lypav informed me that your mental skills are quite possibly sufficient to assist the patients to retrieve suppressed memories, which is needed for one patient. Is there a reason you did not do this?"

Harry sighed. "I have skill but it is because I had to learn. Yes. I do have a method of mental discipline comparable to a trained Vulcan. But I am not, by nature or training, a healer. I could only provide short term comfort."

T'Kys, one of the Vulcan healers, asked, "If I may inquire …"

"Go ahead."

"What nature of training in mental discipline have you had that is comparable to Vulcan training?"

Harry replied, "Magical training." He raised his hand. "Magic is not logical – but that does not make it false."

Harry recognized Vulcan amusement. "I do not have sufficient reason to believe that is true or false though Vulcans have long regarded magic as impossible."

Harry nodded. "If you need proof, inspect the rear seat of my vehicle."

T'Kys raised an eyebrow and decided to humor the Human. Harry called out, "Dawkins, if you could open it."

Dawkins had seen how it was opened it and did so for the Vulcan, who stuck his head in. After a long moment, the older man returned. "I now have some experience which seems to indicate there is validity to your argument. Magic is, by definition, an effect created by inexplicable energy. And that is inexplicable."

"Yes. Magic."

T'Kys asked, "Would if be possible to see your mental structure? The product of your training?"

Haryr considered that. "Your purpose for asking?"

T'Kys replied calmly, "Any method which is effective could assist a patient suffering from mental trauma. The structure will demonstrate the method you use and if it is on par but different than traditional Vulcan technique, it could be efficacious when other attempts fail."

Harry had to admit the man had a point. "I can expect confidentiality on matters personal I assume."

"Yes."

Harry nodded. "I will allow it, as long as my Elves monitor me magically."

"Please call them and we can make ourselves comfortable."

Harry raised his voice. "Dobby! Winky!"

The two elves popped in. "Master Harry calls?" Winky asked calmly.

Harry smiled. "Thank you for coming. I am going to allow this Vulcan healer to learn occlumency via mind meld. Please monitor my magic and make certain I am safe."

"Yes, Master Harry. We will protect you," Winky said. Dobby said nothing but looked resolute.

Harry conjured two chairs and motioned toward them. "Here is fine."

The two men sat down and T'Kys initiated the meld.


	32. Leaving Vulcan

The five patients had been transferred into the care of the facility. Fair, a member of the Vulcan Health Ministry, stood calmly with Lypav, a member of the T'Shar, the Vulcan Intelligence Service, observing T'Kys, a Healer of some age and widely recognized skill, mind melding with the Wizard which had appeared at Vulcan sowing some chaos.

Also present were two House Elves carefully monitoring their bonded Master and friend as he mentally communed.

Cheryl Dawkins, Bill Dawkins, and Corey Macmillan, who had come with to assist if required (it hadn't been needed) were also watching. However, if one were paying attention it would have been noticed that the three hadn't been prepared to stand outside in the heat and gravity of the Vulcan day.

Winky had noticed and, after a brief commune with Dobby, she had snapped her fingers and a canopy suddenly appeared above the group. Dobby snapped his fingers and several chairs also appeared.

Winky checked on her Master again but then conjured a service. "Would anyone wish for water or tea?" she asked generally.

Cheryl looked at her ex and her crewmate. "We all will have some water." She looked at the elves. "You are still monitoring him?"

Winky snapped her fingers and water was provided. "Master Harry is fine, but concentrating on what he is doing. We sense no danger."

Fair asked with a tone of curiosity, "How sensitive are you to his magic?"

Dobby and Winky looked at each other and then Winky said, "We do not answer questions about Master without his permission. We are bonded with him. We are House Elves. Our people have been bonded with Wizards for hundreds and hundreds of years. Master Harry calls us friends and not servants, but we still are bonded. We follow his orders except when he is harmed. We are freer than any House Elf has been for a very long time. He asked us to tell no one of details because information could be used to harm him or us."

"Acknoweldged." Fair glanced at the two melding. "I would also accept water." Lypav motioned as well. Winky delivered. The Humans sat down, and the Vulcans followed so as not to appear threatening.

Winky snapped her fingers.

Cheryl asked, "What did you just do?"

She replied, "Nurse is Master Harry's healer so I will tell. Master was getting hot. I made the same as a cooling charm to keep him comfortable."

Bill asked, "Can I have a cooling charm?" After a moment, Dobby snapped his fingers and set a cooling charm all Humans not Harry.

Bill breath a sigh of relief. "That's nice. Thank ye kindly, Dobby Potter." He took a deep breath. "Now this almost feels like a nice pleasant day at home." He took a sip of water and said, "All I would need is lemonade."

Dobby snapped his fingers again and it was no longer water. Bill grinned his delight and took a deep drink. "Ahhh. Now _that_ makes this a mighty fine break." He said quietly to Dobby. "You're a Prince among Elves."

"Master Bill is kind," Dobby replied.

Fair asked, "Master? Do you see yourself as a servant of all Humans?"

Winky answered, "No. Our people were expected to call all Wizards and Witches Master or Mistress and we never interacted with people without Magic. Master Harry told us this is no longer required. We are free, even if we are bonded." She didn't talk about how Harry could still order them around if he intended to magically enforce an order. "But we are distracted watching Master Harry. And so our talk is changed to be more similar to before we were free."

Fair said, "Thank you. What is lemonade?"

Bill answered, "Lemon juice and sugar and water. We drink it a lot where I'm from – it's cool and refreshing."

"A lemon is a type of fruit?"

"Yep. It's very tart to Human tastes. You can drink it without a sweetener but it isn't as pleasant."

Fair asked Dobby, "May I have a sample of this lemonade?"

Dobby snapped his fingers and a glass of lemonade appeared on the table next to the chair. She took a small sip. "The sweetener is strong, but it does taste quiet interesting." She took a larger drink and considered her own reactions. "Curious. It _is_ slightly revitalizing."

Lypav asked, "May I also have lemonaide?"

Dobby snapped again and another glass was provided. Lypav also thought it a good refreshing drink.

* * *

It was fifteen minutes later when the elves suddenly started paying closer attention. Dobby snapped his fingers and a glass of lemonade and a bottle of Bajoran butterbeer, Harry's preferred drink, appeared

A few moments later T'Kys dropped his hand and both men opened their eyes. T'Kys said, "Fascinating."

Harry sat back and noticed the bottle as well as the glass. "My elves have provided refreshment."

T'Kys nodded and took a sip. "What is this?"

Fair, who had been listening, said, "They call it lemonade, a Human drink."

T'Kys took a larger drink. "It is refreshing – the sugars provide immediate energy and the fruit makes it interesting. I would be interested in trying it without the sweetener." He set down the glass and looked around. "The environment has changed."

Bill reported, "Dobby and Winky provided when we were getting too hot under the sun."

Harry nodded. "Good job. I should have thought of that."

T'Kys replied, "This is a pleasant resting environment. I will have a similar arrangement set up for those who wish to sit outside under the sun. Our new patients might enjoy this." He looked at Harry. "I would like to discuss what I saw. However, a part of that would be considered confidential to you. Would you prefer to move off or ask the others to move off temporarily?"

Harry pulled his wand and cast a _Muffliato_. "The spell I just cast will allow us to talk privately. Those around us will only hear an unidentifiable buzzing sound."

T'Kys's eyebrow rose. He spoke a sentence without looking away from Harry. "Fair. Can you hear the words I am speaking?"

Harry had a small smile. "As you can see, she did not react."

"Useful. What I wanted to speak of is this: You have many mental traumas in your past."

"Yes. As you saw, my occlumency holds them at bay."

"Such is a useful technique. Your magic makes the barriers stronger, but the technique itself would be useful for anyone learning to live a full life again after trauma. However, your technique does mean that you have not always fully confronted all aspects of your experiences."

Harry considered that. "True. What of it?"

T'Kys said calmly, "Humans are _not_ Vulcans. It would take a much more severe emotionally compromising trauma for a Vulcan to require treatment. That is not a denigration - it is fact. In Humans and other non-Vulcan minds, the emotional ties to such memories are more important. Allowing these things to be pushed out of memory or immediate consideration is effective in the short term but is often damaging in the long term. I would recommend professional care."

Harry chuckled ruefully. "You're the first Vulcan who I have ever heard to recommend confronting the emotional aspects."

"I am the first Vulcan you have met trained fully in the mental traumas of Alien as well as Vulcan minds. Vulcans lock onto emotional suppression early, when our emotions are not yet under control. With a mind kept strictly under control for the remainder of one's life, this is adequate. Non-Vulcans, however, do not deal with emotions in the same way. To suppress or remove emotion once one has allowed emotion to be a primary factor in the adult mind is less than an optimum solution."

Harry considered that. "Possibly why Severus Snape was so unpleasant."

"Yes. He continued to suppress the emotions he experienced at the loss of your mother rather than ever fully confronting and acknowledging them; a viable solution for immediate survival, but a poor long-term strategy."

Harry considered that long and hard. "I think it would be hard to find time to receive treatment. Something is coming and I need to be in it."

T'Kys replied, "I would recommend you taking on a larger medical section. I can provide names of those who need experience in the field. I even have a daughter of my son who has expressed an interest in following my profession and example. You have a Nurse. If you are willing to wait two days, I believe a team of three Vulcan medical personnel would be available to become a part of your crew. One can treat you at your convenience, and your ship would be able to assist more directly when circumstances require."

Harry looked at the calm T'Kys. He had melded with him and knew the Healer was earnest and without ulterior motive. "I am willing to wait the two days. I have considered that it is better to get more people on board."

T'Kys nodded. "I will begin making calls as soon as we finish."

Harry asked, "What do you think of the conclusion that a Vulcan mate would be a better option than many others."

T'Kys steepled his fingers and his face became very thoughtful. After a moment he said, "There are both positive and negative aspects for you in the long term, as well as for a possible mate."

"What would they be as you see them?"

The Vulcan healer replied, "The reasons for such a conclusion are valid. Your likely life term, overall health, and other aspects would make a Vulcan compatible. Even your mental control would be a benefit. However, a Vulcan of a comparable age to you is not mature. Bonding with such a partner might interfere with the process which locks in our ability to suppress emotions. Much of what I discussed would be a factor. I would have one admonishment if you decided to follow that path."

"And that admonishment?"

T'Kys replied dispassionately, "Once you might begin a bonding process with a Vulcan partner, there would be no going back. The bond would enhance the positive aspects and minimize the negative, for both partners. If the two of you then changed your mind and you then severed your bond, the Vulcan in question would be compromised for the rest of their life as far as emotional control. Socially, and mentally, that would have many negative repercussions. I will not advise you against it. I will only advise you to be extremely certain before engaging in such a pursuit."

Harry listened carefully and then said, "Thank you for your counsel in this matter."

"You are welcome."

* * *

Harry cancelled the charm and then stood up. "We will be here for two days waiting for word."

T'Kys asked, "How can I contact you?"

Harry had a tight smile. "My ship will stay parked here. I will fly Lypav and Fair back on my Aeroshuttle, but we will be two kilometers that way. Dawkins here can provide you with our comm frequencies."

Harry let the two men consult with each other. Before they could take their leaves Harry asked, "Would you like my Elves assistance in setting up a similar canopy to this one? We would be able to replicate it on our ship."

T'Kys looked at the Elves. "Would that be acceptable?"

Winky nodded. "Yes. One of us will come later today to plan. Tomorrow we will deliver and prepare for use."

"Thank you," he said as he bowed his head in acknowledgement.

Harry said, "We still have to talk of the required remuneration for your services."

T'Kys replied, "Unnecessary. You will have a team of Healers who will achieve experience with non-Vulcan patients. In addition, a number of plants recently planted at the retreat were obtained from the Granger Seed Bank curently housed here on Vulcan. This was provided by you and your elves. We are already sufficiently recompensed."

"Good." Harry said, "I will return in two days." He raised his hand. "Live long and prosper."

"Peace and long life."

The elves vanished the various conjured items and returned the items magically called. Harry then led his people back to the Land Rover as well as his two guests. "I will bring you back to my ship and then, using our Shuttle, I will fly you back. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," both Vulcans replied.

He looked at Dawkins. "Inform the crew and guests: For anyone who wants to spend some time on Vulcan, I am authorizing shore leave. The shuttle can be used or transporters. Split into port and starboard watches."

Lypav asked curiously, "What are port and starboard watches?"

Harry turned on the Land Rover as he answered. "In the old days of sailing ships in the navy, the crews were split into watches. Liberty was split between two groups: Those bunked port and those bunked starboard. This was done differently for liberty than operational watches because it wasn't convenient for all night time or day time personnel to be on liberty at once. People who bunked together tended to have liberty together. And so port and starboard watches is a more equitable split for liberty or shore leave while not preventing required duties from being performed. As long as a crew is properly managed by the Duty Officer."

Lypav said, "Understood."

* * *

Harry drove the small distance back. After he drove the Land Rover up the ramp, he said to his elves, "Tomorrow I will enjoy driving around for a while. You do not need to put it away."

Dawkins said, "Driving is recreational?"

Harry grinned. "If you're the only one out there. In traffic? Not so much." He paused. "We need to rig up a tricorder so that we don't accidentally run into a ditch or off a cliff. We need to stay on fairly smooth terrain. We also would need to avoid animals."

Winky said, "Master Harry could also fly his broomstick."

Harry stopped at that. "True! That would be great as well."

Fair asked the question, "Fly a broomstick?"

Dawkins answered, "In Earth mythology, Witches rode flying broomsticks." He looked at Harry. "I am guessing that it isn't just a myth."

"Nope!" Harry said with a wide smile. "And even though Witches do ride them, Wizards tend to do it for fun more."

Dawkins said, "How about I make arrangements for anyone who wants to travel with you on the shuttle and you fly around a bit on your broomstick?"

Harry considered that. "Okay." He looked at Winky. "My broomstick?"

Winky popped out and popped back with the broomstick in question. Harry looked at those watching. "I'll be flying for a little bit. We leave on the Aeroshuttle in an hour. Unless you want to enjoy our hospitality for a night."

"We will fly back when you are ready to depart."

"Okay then." Harry put his leg over the broom and rocketed out.

He knew it was almost rude, but he wanted the Vulcans, especially the Intelligence agent, to have an idea of what was happening when they observed things from a distance. Flying his broom was just one thing he planned on enjoying. He didn't really have enough time on planets.

It took a small amount of time for him to adjust his techniques for the higher gravity and the lower atmosphere. Soon, however, he was flying around like a madman enjoying himself. At one point he had flown up a full kilometer and looked out before allowing himself to drop back down toward the surface.

He was happy that the elves were on hand to reassure anyone watching that he wasn't actually going to hurt himself.

After half an hour, he returned to the ship. Cheryl was not happy. "Are you insane?" she said quite loudly.

He was confused. "Why are you asking that?"

"Do you know how dangerous that is? The damage that could be done if you had made a mistake?"

Harry shrugged. "I've been flying for over 20 years – I'm almost 32 now – and was widely considered one of the best flyers in the world. I knew what I was doing."

Cheryl looked at him for a long moment and then stormed off, her annoyance obvious. Bill said (after she was gone), "I thought that looked fun."

Harry grinned. "There's a broomflying holo program. Search and ye will find. You can fly like a wizard and see what it feels like. There's even a program to teach you to fly."

Bill grinned happily. "I think I'll do that rather than take shore leave." He glanced around. "Just don't tell Cheryl – my ears don't need to hear it."

"Have fun," Harry said with amusement.

* * *

The Aeroshuttle was easily released from the parked ship. On the ground, the shuttle easily could be set down and then it could lift a yard until it was no longer below the ship.

Harry flew his Vulcan guests back. The crew had reacted as Bill had: They decided to take their off-duty time on the ship in the holo-suites or other leisure activities. No one felt a need to visit Vulcan.

Lars worked with Harry to get the Aeroshuttle more properly linked in to the wards and with a switchable ward which would allow the shuttle to fly without being seen.

Unfortunately, it was magically not a unit on its own. It was defined as a smaller part of the larger and, for some reason, the ability to mask a runabout didn't translate over to the Aeroshuttle. When it left, it read as unimportant but it wasn't "cloaked". Harry couldn't understand why he couldn't get it to work but eventually decided it wasn't that important.

Lars posited that the Rune schemes to allow the Aeroshuttle to see the Bruce under cloak is what was interfering with the scheme. Harry read the rune schemes carefully and conceded that he was probably right.

Outside of the time working on the shuttle, Harry visited T'Kys again, spent time on his broom, and took the Land Rover out to drive for fun. He also acted as "Driving Instructor" for the holo-program he designed to teach someone to drive.

"Designed" was a bit misleading in this case as Harry had found British, American, and Australian drivers education books in addition to manuals for the cars he owned, entered them all in, and had the computer come up with a program to teach someone how to drive.

Harry actually had to practice a few things himself including how to react if the vehicle started to fishtail. He wrecked several times and realized this was something he would need to work out more. In this case, he was quite happy to have holo-safeties fully active.

* * *

T'Kys did find three Vulcan Healers for the Bruce, including a Doctor, a nurse, and a traditional Healer. T'Kys requested the last one be able to study the subject of potions as Harry's materials described them.

Harry was leery but, after all were willing to sign the contract, Harry turned them over to Cheryl. A Vulcan day, he felt, was enough time to find out if they could work with Cheryl. As far as Harry was concerned, she was Head Nurse and if they couldn't work with her, there was a problem.

There were no issues.

Two more Vulcans had also been put forth. "I was not expecting additional Vulcans to apply for positions."

There were two who T'Kys had introduced, a slightly older and a younger male. The older one was T'Kol. "My father is T'Kys. I previously served on a Vulcan science vessel, non-Starfleet. My assigned duties were ensuring the scientists were not distracted with personal needs unaccounted for. I ensured all physical requirements were available and assisted with ship provisions."

"You were a steward."

"That is the proper term according to the translator. I had not heard the term before."

"My Ship's Steward, head of the Services Department, is Sal Ramirez, a Human. Would there be any difficulties in answering to a Human?"

"I see no reason such would prevent me serving."

Harry nodded. He looked at the younger man. "And you are …"

"I am Stolel. I am a trained security officer."

"Did the T'Shar send you?"

"Lypav of the T'Shar recommended I apply."

Harry looked at the man. "If I allowed you to serve, would you answer to anyone other than myself?"

"No."

"What goal did Lypav have in recommending your apply?"

"Lypav is the son of my father's brother. We both were trained in Intelligence and Security but I did not wish to work for the T'Shar or the Vulcan Security Services. I also am not interested in joining Starfleet. As such, my options include private operations on Vulcan or on a private ship. In addition, he suggested that I would find working for you fascinating."

Harry nodded. "I trust nepotism when looking for new people."

"If I may ask why such is the case?" T'Kol asked.

"When one has to decide whom to trust, family and friends of those who are already present are a good source of trustworthy people. The practice of nepotism can lead to corruption if one is not careful, but it is not guaranteed."

Harry decided. "As all possible crew members do, you will be required to sign an employment contract. Remuneration must be discussed, whether monetary, experiential, or other, and those in charge of the different areas must be able to work with you. Just as with the medical personnel, you will spend one day with the department head. T'Kol will be with Sal Ramirez. Stolel will also be with Sal, though his duties as Security Officer are not Mr. Ramirez's primary function. My senior Security Officer, a Bajoran by the name of Krim Aldos, is currently in the Sol system. I will not make you head of the department until a probationary period is completed, but you will be the primary Security Officer at the moment."

* * *

Harry was relieved that he had gotten a trained security officer when he found that "trained security officer" included tactical training.

Martinez had been keeping an eye on weapons but as the Flight Controller/Astrographer, he had his hands full with navigation and flying. Also firing the weapons would have been too much. Dawkins could have run weapons, but he was also monitoring scanners.

Harry was chagrinned to realize he had erred badly in not getting the post filled.

Sal was perfectly happy with acting as security off the bridge in a pinch, but Harry had been lucky the Bruce hadn't gotten into a firefight.

Stolel had already scheduled readiness drills for the bridge crew to prepare them in case of attack.

Harry spoke to Lars, who had moved more into the role of a friend along for the ride as Blake was competent as Chief Engineer. "How could I have missed it? We're damn lucky the Cardassians never saw us. I hadn't tested our wards with Cardassians before that – that could have been a fatal mistake."

Lars replied, "It could have been. I should have brought it up as well."

Harry grimaced. "Thanks for trying but it's my ship and it's on me." He snorted. "I had probably better stay alive a long, long while. If I died, I might end up confronted by the spirit of my old magical chemistry teacher telling me he always knew how arrogant I was and that others were blind to my faults." Harry paused and then mused, "I don't actually know if the afterlife is the same on this timeline or if I'll go to a different one. That's actually quite depressing."

Lars looked at Harry for a long moment. Finally he said, "Well, if there is an afterlife, maybe he'll have calmed down before you get there."

Harry looked at Lars with a half smile. "Um, Lars?" He looked interested. "The existence of the afterlife is a known fact among my people. In addition to the fact that magical people can become ghosts if they are too scared to move on when they die, we had an artifact called the Resurrection Stone which could call the dead back to the world. The dead are at peace and it would cause some discomfort if you repeatedly called them or if you held them too long, but the dead are the same except they are at peace. Whether they eventually dissipate or go to permanent sleep or reincarnate, I don't know – I never called a person who had been dead more than thirty years. But I have spoken to the dead called back from their destination and I know there is life after the physical body expires."

Lars stared at Harry completely thunderstruck. "Um. Wow."

Harry chuckled. "Why are you so surprised? Humans have believed in an afterlife for … well for thousands of years."

Lars replied, "Maybe because we've moved away from that belief? Not worrying about the afterlife means people don't kill in the here and now for some nebulous reward to be received from god after we die?"

Harry considered that. "Well, what I said doesn't really prove there is some reward you'll receive when you die. The souls seem at peace. I don't know how it all works but I do have one scientific basis for a belief in the soul."

"And that is?" Lars asked.

"If basic science says there is no such thing as the creation or destruction of energy, only a conversion, why has no one recorded the energy of a dying person or thing moving into the mass which makes up the portions of or the surrounds of the living and now dead thing? Where did the energy go? It wasn't destroyed but you can no longer find it."

"Antimatter annihilates matter."

Harry snorted. "Now you're grasping – I'm sure someone would have found the trace of antimatter of death if it existed." Harry paused. "And matter and anti-matter don't annihilates each other."

"Sure they do. We see it in warp reactors everyday."

"No. What you are seeing is anti-matter and matter breaking down very quickly into something we can't measure – like quarks. Who knows? But the fact is the heat released is used to superheat the warp particles so that you can create propulsion. But that heat is still energy. So matter and anti-matter coming together just make matter break down quickly and completely to things we can't measure. If they just annihilated each other, matter and antimatter hitting would cause both to just wink out of existence. Instead we get an explosion. Ergo, it's just another type of conversion."

Lars considered that argument. Finally he sighed. "I'm going to have to get back to you on that."

"Please do."

"Anyway. Yes. You screwed up. Now you're fixing it. The end."

Harry sighed. "Until the next thing I fuck up. I just hope my next mistake doesn't prove fatal."

* * *

After a day, all of the Vulcans seemed to fit in well enough and secrecy and loyalty contracts were in place. Harry sent his goodbyes and finally the Bruce was ready to lift off. He hit the button. "All hands. The Bruce will be lifting off and, once in space, we will set course for Sol. Condition Blue. All hands: Condition Blue."

People started moving. Harry called out, "As soon as we are out of the atmosphere, Activate Wards!" Dawkins acknowledged and then monitored the scanners. Ollie Blake was confident enough in his people that he took the Chief Engineer's station, Martinez was at helm, Stolel was at tactical, and Harry was in the Captain's chair. All guests had been secured and all personnel (save night personnel) were at their stations.

Harry listened to the reports and gave directions as best he could. It took ten minutes but soon the Bruce was exiting the Vulcan atmosphere and lifting itself into orbit. Dawkins called out, "Activating wards!" And after a moment he reported, "Scanning relays no longer track the Bruce."

"Full impulse to exit the system. Set course for Sol, specifically Starbase 1, warp 7.5, and Engage."

Charlie Martinez called back, "Aye, Captain: Full impulse and then Warp 7.5 to Sol."

Harry smiled when the ship jumped into warp. He ignored Dawkins explaining to Stolel why they didn't limit themselves to Warp 5.

That was going to be a thing.


	33. A Diplomatic Visit

It had been decided that a slower speed and moving without wards was more helpful between Vulcan and Sol. It was less than a day away at Warp 5.

The plan was to drop the passengers off at the Starbase and then Harry would allow a United Earth Harbor Pilot to land the ship on Earth.

Harry had protested but Earth rules were strict: With so many ships and shuttles, any ship larger than a Danube-class runabout was classified as a starship and could not be landed unless a United Earth Harbor Pilot was in control. Starfleet didn't have to follow that rule, but Harry was paying the price of insisting he was independent.

Most non-Starfleet ships just used shuttles or transporters. The actual use of a Harbor Pilot was rare. At least he wasn't required to submit to a bunch of controls in orbit – his was a registered Earth vessel.

* * *

Winky and Dobby had asked permission to have a meeting with Stolel in the Captain's Ready Room. He was told he could monitor it or not as he wished. He decided to monitor it.

He cast a notice-me-not. At the appropriate time, Dobby led the Vulcan into the room and they sat down at the couch. Winky said, "You asked for a meeting?"

"Yes. According to records, both of you are a part of the Captain's Office." At their confusion he clarified, "You do not serve the ship as a whole, you ensure the Captain is looked after and that his personal guests are taken care of. While your actions might reflect well on the ship, you personally serve the Captain."

Winky and Dobby considered that. Dobby said, "Yes. That is true."

Stolel said, "I wish to consult with you as regards the Captain's schedule. Winky, you are listed as the Captain's Assistant. From what I observe, both of you serve the Captain and his interests but you take care of details and the Captain's comfort whereas Dobby takes care of large issues, ones more directly affecting his image and duties rather than health."

Winky considered that. "Maybe. Why is important?" She corrected herself. "Why is this important?"

Stolel explained. "I was checking the logs as regards security issues. One matter that hadn't been scheduled were periods for Sir Harry to work on maintaining his personal skills despite there being reference to it being needed. He appears to be distracted at times with more immediate concerns. I would like to ensure that he is prepared for all eventualities."

Winky glanced at Harry. "What are your concerns?"

"He requires time to practice magical combat, tactical situations commanding a ship, barehanded combat, and time to practice his sword fighting."

"Sword fighting requires another person and no one on ship is trained."

"There are holo-programs."

Harry decided to interject – he was a little put out that his life was being directed, no matter how well-intentioned. He wandlessly cancelled the notice-me-not. "But a part of my skills involve reading the aura of an opponent. This cannot be practiced without a live person."

He was impressed: Stolel didn't even flinch. "Respectfully, Captain, in that case I would highly recommend you _not_ practice with another person until you have achieved particular goals with a holo-program."

Harry was a little surprised. "Why?"

"If you are depending on reading an opponent, you are not depending on technique, which means your lack of technique is overcome by reading the opponent. Such is a valuable ability, but you should not attempt to substitute such for true skill. Learn the technique without flaw, and then adjust to your opponent."

Harry would have protested but the person who had taught him sword fighting in his twenties had made a similar comment. At the time he had ignored it – and he was good enough at _his_ way that the man hadn't been able to argue. Harry was fairly certain a Vulcan wouldn't buy that as a valid alternate. "Okay. I suppose you had best retrieve several programs of different levels for different weapons. I have training on katana as well as the English short sword and the broadsword. I suppose if I'm going to do it right, I should do all of them right."

"Aye, Captain."

Stolel attempted to talk to him about his schedule and Harry said, "No. Talk to Winky. I trust my elves to keep track for me so I don't have to worry. I listen to them."

"Of course, Captain."

Harry sighed privately to himself. It seemed he had somehow gained a Vulcan personal trainer and he had allowed himself to be suckered into it. And if he knew his elves, they would be all for it because it would keep him alive longer.

He was going to lose all of his fun time. At that realization he groaned quietly.

* * *

Harry was on the Bridge when the ship reached the edges of the Sol system. "Dawkins. Open a channel to Starbase 1."

"Yes, Captain." Very soon a Starfleet Lieutenant was on the screen. "This is Starbase 1."

"This is Sir Harry Potter, Captain of BSS Bruce, registry through Buckingham Palace on Earth. I have five Starfleet passengers from Deep Space 9. Do you want them to transport or should I dock?"

"Do you have a transporter operator?"

"Yes."

The voice came back, "I will send the linking information to allow your transporter operator to link in to our transporter room. Your Harbor Pilot is here instead of on Earth – your ship requires someone trained on similar vessels and the only one available is Starfleet. I am sending a link to Transporter Room Beta-1-2. They can coordinate receiving your passengers. I am sending information on the shuttlepod carrying your Harbor Pilot. I am sending the coordinates and flight path for your Flight Controller around Starbase 1."

"Thank you." He looked at Dawkins, who nodded that he had gotten it. "Your help is appreciated. Bruce, Out." The screen cut off.

"Alert Macmillan and transfer flight plan to Martinez. Prepare docking bay to receive shuttlepod."

"Yes, Captain."

It was only twenty minutes later and the passengers had been offloaded and Lt. Commander Cavit had arrived on the tiny ship.

* * *

Once they had moved away from Starbase 1, Harry relaxed. "Set course for geosynchronous orbit 48 Degrees North, 2 Degrees West in preparation for landing at New Buckingham."

"Aye, Captain." Harry stood up and turned to the Starfleet Officer that had arrived. "Welcome to BSS Bruce, Lt. Commander Cavit."

"Thank you, Captain Potter."

Harry chuckled. "Captain as a courtesy – you're far more trained than I am. I command because technically I own it. I would have greeted you with more ceremony but we have a small crew and I didn't feel comfortable leaving the bridge until we were outside of Starbase 1 traffic lanes."

"I understand." He looked around. "Your ship says Starfleet, though I know you are not." His tone was conversational.

Harry's reply was not.

"Brittanic Star Ship Bruce is my Diplomatic Yacht. I am, Sir Harry Potter, Knight of the Thistle, Order of Merlin First Class, Holder of the George Cross, awarded for Gallantry in Battle against terrorists and traitors, by Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith; member of the Royal Household of Great Britain as declared by Charles VIII, Traditional King of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Commonwealth of Nations. God Save the King." Ireland, ironically, had been happy to be included as long as the Royal Family's role was labeled Traditional only and they had no real authority. Harry had found it amusing when he had found out.

It had not taken the entire recitation for Cavit to realize he had been a bit disrespectful with his tone, though it was unintentional. "I apologize if I seemed dismissive."

Harry smiled – the man was not an idiot. "It's quite alright. You only know that you were asked to be a Harbor Pilot to land a ship. Why you?"

Cavit answered, "I am slated to be XO on an Intrepid class that will launch soon and I had to study quite a lot to familiarize myself. Your systems are similar, including the landing systems."

Harry grinned. "That's nice. My ship was modified to look more like an Intrepid despite being based on the Nova class. I liked the rounder look. And so the Federation was willing to allow the design to meet my preferences."

Cavit was quite interested. "So you were slated for a ship even before it was built."

"Yes. In addition to providing quite a lot to Earth and the Federation in terms of things I had brought from my home in 21st Century Earth but an alternate timeline, the engines on your ship likely contain parts only possible because of abilities me and my people have."

Cavit looked like he was thinking fast. He had an aha moment. "The neutronium plating in the plasma chamber."

"Right in one." He asked Martinez, "Time to orbit, Martinez?"

"Three minutes, Captain."

"Good." He looked at Cavit. "I will turn control over as soon as we're in orbit, as per the plan."

Cavit nodded. "Has the crew gotten experience in landing the ship?"

"We visited Vulcan and landed it at a remote location with permission of the Vulcan government. We took on crew members, including the Tactical Officer," he nodded toward Stolel who sat there stoically, "so they can do the landing under your direction."

Cavit smiled. "Excellent. It's something we won't have time for our crew to practice immediately but it is something I wanted to experience."

"You'll get your chance now."

Martinez called out. "We're in orbit, Captain."

"Good." Harry sat back down. "All hands. We are going to be landing soon on Earth. The next voice you'll hear is our Harbor Pilot. He will be doing the landing. Make me look good. Potter, Out."

He stood up. "Harbor Pilot Cavit; you have the con." He motioned toward the Captain's chair.

"Thank you." Cavit sat down and, once he found the control, he sent the command shipwide: "All hands, Condition Blue. Prepare the ship to land. All Hands, Condition Blue."

Harry had to admit that Cavit had a much better grasp on procedure as he directed the BSS Bruce to land after he had contacted the Palace, gotten permission and the location, and then given out instructions. Harry learned a decent bit watching him and he was much happier that the requirement had been in place.

* * *

The landing was as smooth or smoother than it had been at Vulcan. Cavit stood up. "Sir Harry, BSS Bruce is now landed at designated coordinates."

"Thank you, Commander Cavit. I now relieve you of the con."

"I stand relieved."

"Thank you for your assistance, Commander. Is there anything you need before you leave?"

"No." Harry decided to lead the man down. They entered the landing bay. Cavit stopped halfway to the shuttlepod. "Can you answer a question, Sir Harry, about the Bruce?"

"Maybe," Harry replied. "What's the question?"

"How is the bay so large? I've studied the Nova, which this is based off of. There is no way a bay on a ship this size can be so large."

Harry smirked. "Magic, Lt. Commander. I'm a Wizard. We wanted to be able to host all three of Deep Space 9's runabouts in a pinch and I used magic to enlarge the space to make it possible."

Cavit looked like he wanted to ask more but just nodded. "Thank you."

Harry watched as the man launched and then Harry called all hands to gather in the bay.

* * *

Within a short time, all were present. "Welcome to or back to Earth. We will be on the surface from three days to one week. In three hours, King Charles VIII is scheduled to arrive to inspect the ship as he has not seen it yet. His son, Prince William Windsor, was on hand when it was launched." He looked around. "I expect the highest level of professionalism. I might own the ship, but we operate under the flag of the King. If he calls, I will come. And all of those working for me will come as well."

He looked away and back. "Three hours should be sufficient to secure all ship functions, clean up, and be prepared to receive dignitaries. You answer to me as the Captain, I answer to the King as my sovereign, you are not required to follow the orders of anyone else although I recommend you do anything Prince William may ask of you – he is the future King. If any family members come, they are to be treated with respect.

"Any questions so far?"

There were none.

"I have not instituted a dress code or uniform. By a show of hands: How many feel it would be proper to do so?" He wasn't actually surprised that only Macmillan didn't raise his hands.

"Mr. Macmillan? Are you opposed to a uniform?"

"No, Sir Harry. I just don't think it's necessary as this isn't a Starfleet vessel."

"Understood. I am going to dismiss you all. In the next hour, ensure the ship is in top shape. Take half an hour to eat a light meal and refresh yourself. At that time, I will have a uniform specification programmed for the replicators to provide once you give them your personal information or allow the ship to scan you. In two hours, we're all back here to complete preparations for the King and the Royal Court to arrive. Any questions?"

"Good. Dismissed. Sal. Come with me – I need your help to decide on a uniform."

* * *

It didn't take as long as Harry had been worried it would take. He had decided to respect the lack of pockets in regular uniforms and had designated the shirts to be the forest green of the Order of the Thristle plus black trousers. Shoes were to be black but comfortable. Women could, if they wish, substitute a black skirt instead of trousers but had to wear boots coming to at least mid-thigh and black tinted hosiery. Alternately they could wear forest green dresses with black hosiery. Harry assumed the women would wear trousers like Starfleet, but this wasn't Starfleet and he wanted to let them have options.

One everyone's top, over the left breast, was a small Potter Coat of Arms embroidered into the top.

Dress uniforms included a tunic which was a deep black. Included were two pins, one being the Potter Coat of Arms, and the other being the Royal Coat of Arms, which was slightly larger.

In formal situations, such as being presented to the King, robes could replace the tunic for the dress uniform. These were dress robes based on Magical Britain. Vulcans, Harry knew, preferred robes in their own style, but this was his ship and his dress robes of black Acromantulan silk would fit in. This meant the top and trousers or skirts were still worn.

He himself would wear his awards and honors with his coat of arms embroidered in and a pin with the Royal Coat of Arms to show who held his oath.

Sal had seen Harry transfigure his clothes from one choice to another until they had chosen the uniforms. He was the one who decided the uniform was sufficient for the moment.

* * *

Harry let Sal go so that he could do what was needed for his own areas. He then moved to the bridge and use the ship's comm system to make a call.

The voice came through easily. "Office of Protocol. How can I help you?"

"Hello. This is Sir Harry Potter on the Bruce. We are scheduled to receive His Majesty and his entourage in two hours. It wasn't made clear if he was intending to eat here or how many are coming. I need to prepare for his arrival and so I am requesting information."

"Yes, Sir Potter. Hold a moment." Harry had only made a short connection to arrange his arrival and had immediately agreed to host the King and those with him for a tour. Only later had he realized that he hadn't gotten enough details – actually, right in the middle of landing.

Such was his current work to prepare for a Royal review. He knew it was likely Charles considered the visit informal but that would be a travesty. He had the resources to host his sovereign and he would do so.

Soon a voice came on the line. "Sir Harry."

He immediately recognized it. "Your Highness. It is good to hear your voice."

"I am certain," came the amused reply. "I've been busy on our project and your interests – I am glad you have come. But I'm being asked how many are coming. We didn't intend more than myself and my father, and a couple of others."

"Well, I have my people getting ready for a whole Royal visit. The tour is obvious. I can also provide food and entertainment. Especially if you have your whole family. My elves would thoroughly enjoy making me look good by providing a scrumptious meal. And we can then show a family-friendly video from the twentieth century."

William's voice was amused. "Stand by – I'm going to check."

Finally it came back: The BSS Bruce would host a tour with 17 members of the royal family including children and grandchildren. William had two siblings and between the three families there were 9 children. Add that to Charles and his wife (Harry hadn't met her for some reason) and they had 17.

8 people working for the Royal family or for the British government would also arrive.

Harry had called Dobby and he had prompted a few questions. It was decided that Dobby and Winky would serve lamb with alternatives being available of Haddock or a vegetarian dish. Drinks would be a choice between red wine, white wine, sparkling water, lemonade, and plain water.

Dobby and Winky charmed a menu option very similar to Harry's Yule Ball. With only two elves, they had to cook using every resource available and keep warming charms on before serving but were determined to perform.

Harry knew he was going to owe his elves big for this.

Water would be provided before seating and the menus would be checked. Once checked, they would disappear and bread sticks would appear. Five minutes later drinks and the chosen side dish (soup or salad) would appear. Five minutes after that the main dishes would appear.

The elves, in a deviation from the way things were done in magical Britain, would come out at intervals and walk around to fulfill any requests to refresh drinks or clean up. They would, of course, use magic to accomplish this.

Once the meal was finished, each person would pick between a serving of a sorbet (alcoholic or not) or a custard pudding or nothing.

The elves would, once again monitor. And guests would be allowed to move from the main eating area to a lounge set up with the Lion King. Instead of Starfleet standard, the seating would be couches, squishy chairs, and bean bags. Anyone not wanting to stay would be shown off the ship or allowed to return to quarters.

* * *

Stolel would monitor the Marauder's Map and would eat privately. Also, Harry would raise a different set of wards including intent-based if there was a threat. The time between Vulcan and Sol had allowed Harry and the elves to replace the anchoring plates to allow more wards and to add the intent-based wards to the main ward stone.

Harry didn't intend to keep an intent ward up for normal circumstances for 2 simple reasons: 1) It could easily be defeated by transporters; and 2) Under the worst circumstances a shuttle with an enemy being flown into the bay could cause someone to die. Harry didn't care if an enemy died but that could also cause political trouble.

He was trying to configure ward lines for the exit of Transporter rooms and the landing bay. That was a project which would take time.

With one hour left to go, the crew assembled in the landing bay. Harry looked them over. "Okay. I'm a much larger fan of having a uniform."

T'Kol observed, "I had picked a tunic for my dress uniform because Humans normally do not wear robes. I now prefer to change to robes instead of a tunic."

"Fine by me, T'Kol. My goal in the options I posted was to allow the crew to wear what they felt was comfortable while maintaining a solidarity in color choices. Forest green and black were my choices because of this." He motioned toward the badge showing he had earned his knighthood.

Onnun, the Healer/Apothecary, asked, "Sir Harry, can you explain the awards you bear as well as the decorations which are included in our uniforms?" Her tone was calm and only showed interest, but that was to be expected from a Vulcan's questions.

"In normal circumstances I have three awards, two normally require a badge around the neck: Order of the Thistle, where my Knighthood derives and Order of Merlin First Class. My George Cross is worn affixed to the chest." He pointed to the badge cross. "I was given leave to wear the Order of Merlin affixed to my chest next to the badge for the Order of the Thistle and my collar only holds the emblem for the Order of the Thistle." He pointed to his pins. "Two of these are the same as worn by yourselves. This is my family's Coat of Arms, because you are in service to me. This is the Royal Coat of Arms, as I answer to the King. I also wear a badge of the British flag from my time period. You may feel free to wear a personal pin showing allegiance, either to a government or to a family or to both. IDIC is acceptable as well. There are limits."

Harry said dryly, "I'd be offended if someone pulled out a Cardassian badge, a Nazi emblem, or Colonel Green's triangle symbol. So let's keep the personal displays reasonable." He looked around. "Any question?"

There seemed to be none. "Dobby and Winky are setting up meals for after the tour for our guests. I know I had you eat but the food was an afterthought. You can join us or not. However, there are seventeen members of the Royal family. 9 of them are children. I don't know the ages. Who is willing to watch one to three children?"

Both Dawkins reluctantly raised their hands after only Ollie Blake and Corey Macmillan had raised their hands. Bill said with humor, "I suppose if our kids ever have kids, I'll have to be ready for grandchildren."

Harry said, "Yeah. But don't work with Cheryl. Sarah, from what William told me, was worried you two had joined as a couple. She was relieved to find out you had signed up separately."

Cheryl and Bill laughed at that. Cheryl said, "She always did have sense."

The crew finalized plans and modified their uniforms as they desired, and finally King Charles arrived at the ramp with his entire entourage including all family members plus guest plus guards (a matter of protocol).

* * *

Harry was happy to have a member of the Royal Household who stood near and gave everyone's names. Included were people in charge of agriculture, and other things as well.

Harry had walked with the King and given a general explanation of the crew – individual introductions would have taken too much time. Only he, as host, had a need to be introduced to everyone.

Dobby arrived at one point and motioned to Harry. Harry excused himself and then moved over to the his elf. "Master Harry. Stolel says that the Map says the guard with Anna Windsor is shown to be Cardassian."

Harry smiled at Dobby so that anyone watching wouldn't be aware of what had been said. Quietly he asked, "The one with the slightly darker skin?"

"Yes, Master Harry."

"Have Stolel activate the intent wards. He then has permission to use the transporters to move him to the brig. If he can't, you are to pop him there."

Dobby nodded resolutely and popped off. He walked back and King Charles asked, "Anything vital?"

"Just being updated on preparations. Dobby and Winky are preparing dinner."

"Ahh. I look forward to it – I remember the last time they fed us."

Before Queen Mary could ask for details, the sound of a transporter interrupted. Harry's face turned resolute. Even as people started reacting Harry pulled his wand and cast a mild concussive blast. "Apologies. Unfortunately the individual just transported away was recognized by our security as a threat. We will call Starfleet Security as the individual is actually wanted by them. This will not interfere except that this introductory gathering may be extended until King Charles is satisfied I am not just acting the boor." Harry said the last with humor.

The humor was forced but people did calm down. Harry walked off and King Charles and his guard followed. Out of sight, Harry pulled the copy of the Bruce's map that he had borrowed from the Security Chief's Office. Stolel was on the Bridge and in his ready room using his own copy.

Harry conjured a table. "This is the Marauder's Map. It is a magical artifact which shows the identity of every person on board. I modified my father's original design to also show race – his map didn't show elves or non-Humans. I also modified it to show different races in different colors."

Harry showed the gathering they had left and how every person there was named. He then moved his finger to the bridge, which showed Stolel and Dobby – Dobby was making sure Starfleet was called. He then showed the Brig. Inside was a man in a bright red, almost magenta, with the name, "Dorres Ghin."

King Charles' eyes widened. "That wasn't the name I was told my guard would be. I was told he answered to Frank."

"I'm certain. Dobby is getting Starfleet involved. We can go back to the others. Let's get the tour done."

Harry assigned the different crew members to show different people around. The Starfleet crew (in their own uniforms) were sent off to help watch the prisoner and to lead those who would arrive to the Brig. Harry had told them that Charles wanted to be present when the man was questioned.

* * *

King Charles was on the bridge meeting Stolel when the next crisis occurred. Simpson called in. "We have a problem, Stolel."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"One of the Starfleet security officers doesn't seem to be able to enter from ramp. It's as though there's a force field. The other one entered easily."

Simpson hadn't been told of the new ward. "One moment."

Harry called out, "Dobby."

He popped in. "Master Harry called?"

"We're about to drop the intent ward. Pop there out of sight. When we do and the man comes in, pop him to the second bring cell and stun him. Then pop back."

Charles asked, "Is that wise? There could be reasons he can't walk through."

"I'm taking no chances, Majesty."

Charles accepted that. Dobby popped off. Harry looked at Stolel. "List the ward and tell Simpson he can come in."

It went off quickly though the security officer that had already entered became agitated. Harry popped in. "Lietenant? I am Sir Harry Potter, commanding this ship. I guarantee safe passage but you need to come to the bridge."

He led the man all the way to the bridge and, with Stolel, Charles, Simpson, and Dobby present, Harry explained the sequence of events and the problem. The man, from a race Harry didn't recognize, asked, "Why did you transport my companion away?"

Harry sighed and showed the area of the map with the brig. The map captured earlier was in one brig. The second held another name: Throc Bic. And like the name Dorres Ghin, it was a hot red, almost magenta. "According to this map, which has not been wrong yet, your companion is also Cardassian."

At that, the man was incredulous. Harry looked at the King. "Sir. Who is your contact at Starfleet or the Federation regarding Beth's Place and what's we're doing?"

"The Federation member from Earth, though the matter has been quietly approved by most of the Federation Council as it is a private concern and they can't legally say we can't do it. Add to that the parts we are now providing and resistance to your project is minimal. The Starfleet representative was quite happy to make his support known."

"Who is the most Neutral?"

"The Betazed member."

Harry nodded. "We need one of them plus extra guards." He paused. "I wonder how Bic stayed hidden – one scan by a Betazoid and the jig would have been up."

Stolel spoke up, "Not if he is a sleeper agent and a false personality has been sufficiently constructed to be the one easily detected."

Harry sighed. "Please call Doctor T'Lek. She should probably consult as well."

King Charles said, "Your Starfleet crew members can get a higher rank here – I recommend at least an Admiral. Don't accept anything less than a Captain as this is a diplomatic vessel."

* * *

Harry had to juggle the security concerns, the extra Starfleet visitors, and the visit by the Royal family. Harry managed it by inviting Admiral Paris to eat dinner with them and then, after the guests had been set up to view the old Earth movie, Harry would get the immediate questions answered and then the prisoners could be transferred off.

Admiral Owen Paris asked, "Why not just transfer them to Starfleet custody?" He was the Admiral which had been sent.

"I need to ensure you know my security didn't make a mistake. I will have to apply another related skill to demonstrate."

Paris considered that. "I'll accept that."

Sal had eaten fully earlier. And, after making certain that the elves had put a dinner aside, he insisted on assisting the elves as it was too large of a gathering for just two people.

Sal ended up bored because the elves were that good. King Charles also embarrassed Dobby and Winky by leading a round of applause for them.

Paris was quite appreciative as they walked back to the security area. "I haven't had a meal like that since the last time we had a family gathering. The food wasn't replicated."

"No. We have a store of actual supplies we used, though the lamb was replicated raw and then cooked. Most meals we eat are replicated but my elves prefer to actually cook for me."

* * *

They got to the cells. Both prisoners protested their being held. Harry told them matters would be resolved soon. He then cut off the sound from getting through. "I have a problem."

"Which is?"

"I plan on using a truth serum. It is infallible. But what we learn can't be used for prosecution unless a judge approves it first. I will need to use the serum to prove he's Cardassian, but then that information can't be given to the authorities who are going to prosecute him. Fruit of the poisonous tree and all that."

Stolel said, "Did he commit any actual crime presenting himself as Human? Did he sign any paper in which he testified as to his identity?"

Paris looked at the Vulcan. "You make a good point. The second prisoner is Starfleet and we can apply the regulations there, but this is a civilian matter, regardless of the state of our relationship with the Cardassian Empire."

Harry huffed. "Well, I'd say we interrogate him, find out why he's here, and then – barring any proof other than my map and what we find – we may have to send him back with a warning to the Cardassians that we don't appreciate spies."

"Let's see what he says," Paris replied.

The man was retrieved. Harry told him to open his mouth and four drops were used.

"What is your birth name?"

"Dorres Ghin."

"For what reason were you working at the Royal Palace?"

"I am hiding from the Cardassian Central Command."

At that everyone was surprised. "Are you acting as an agent for any government or organization opposed to the Federation or Earth?"

"No."

"How did you take on a Human identity?"

"I escaped Cardassia thanks to a sympathetic Legate. I was able to transfer a portion of my wealth to pay to be modified to look Human and for an identity to be created. My remaining wealth was given to the Legate as inducement and to ensure I was not betrayed."

"Why is the Cardassian Central Command looking for you?"

"I reported atrocities committed by Cardassian forced on Bajor to the Detapa Council. My reports were used as evidence which assisted the Civilian Government to force the Central Command to withdraw from Bajor."

"Are you wanted by the Cardassian Civilian Government?"

"No."

"If your identity was found out, what would be the result?"

"I would be killed."

"Are you loyal to King Charles of Great Britain?"

"Yes."

With that, Harry administered the antidote.

"Well. That I was not expecting."

Admiral Paris was just as surprised. "What do we do?"

King Charles said, "Well, he is my man. As far as it goes, he is Franklin Lloyd and he works for the Traditional Royal family."

Harry sighed. "I'm fine with that." He looked at "Franklin." "Is there any reason we shouldn't forget what we've found out?"

"I just want to do my job and live my life."

Harry nodded. He turned to the King. "I'm okay with it. The other one can't hear. I can remove his memory of why he was called and then Starfleet can take it from there. At least we proved my detection system worked."

Paris said, "And we will want to take to you about that."

"I have matters to attend to in the Sol system for maybe two weeks and then I return to Deep Space 9. It will have to be handled within that time."

"I will talk to my superiors and get back to you through King Charles."

Harry nodded. He turned to Frank Lloyd. "I apologize for singling you out. I should have handled it less obnoxiously."

Frank chuckled. "Compared to what I could expect from my own former people, I was treated extremely well and with great consideration. My employer now knows the truth, but perhaps that is better anyway. He also knows that I am loyal to him. So in a way, you have done me a favor."

Harry shrugged. "That's a very non-Cardassian way to look at things."

"You've been spending time with the wrong type of Cardassian."

"Maybe so. I had to deal with Dukat." Frank looked sympathic. Harry called out, "Dobby!"

He appeared. "You called, Master Harry?"

"Do we have any of the undershirts or garments that we enchanted for Garek?"

Dobby thought about it. "Winky and I finished another ten undershirts and knickers. We were going to deliver on his birthday."

"Would it be a problem to give them to Frank here and make more for Garek?"

Dobby snapped his fingers and a package popped in. "I will tell, Winky."

"Thanks." Dobby popped off.

"Undergarments?" Charles asked with amusement.

"Cardassians find Earth and Human environments too cold. These have warming charms so that your man can walk around and live comfortably." He handed the package to Frank. "If you don't get too violent with the washing, the runes won't wear off so fast. Elim Garek, exiled to Deep Space 9 when the Cardassians left, found out the hard way. Wash them with hot water and a mild laundry detergent, no bleach."

"Thank you." Charles nodded and left, going to where his family was watching "The Lion King." Frank Lloyd followed.

Admiral Paris waited until they were gone. "Now our Starfleet Security Officer."

After a discussion, Harry was asked to obliviated the entire trip. Bic was told it had been a false alarm and he had been knocked on accident. Paris wanted to consult with Starfleet security in case they wanted to try to have him watched instead of arresting him.


	34. Visit Earthside

Harry had his crew secure the ship that night before gathering them all once again. "We're on Earth, which is home for a number of you. I will not fly the ship earlier than two days from now. When I said we were coming to Sol, I was implying that our visit was not specifically Earth. We need to visit Mars, Utopia Planetia specifically, and we have another stop to make. I will give details later. We may come back to Earth once more before returning to Bajoran space. Any questions?"

Bill raised his hand and Harry nodded permission. "I do have one question which I've been curious about. This is a Britannic ship, meaning Earth. You're British. You seem to base yourself out of Deep Space 9 and Bajoran space, even if you don't have to. Why?" Bill's tone was curious and not accusative. He truly didn't know.

Harry sighed. "Well, I arrive from my home via the wormhole. That's one. Also, current Earth culture is a bit too …" he considered for a moment, "stultified? Stultified for me."

Corey asked, "Stultified?"

Harry said, "Restrictive or tedious. Honestly, people on Earth have it too easy in my mind. At least out there, things happen. It's not always fun, and sometimes it's dangerous. But at least I don't feel tied to certain behavior."

Dawkins had looked thoughtful at the answer. "I ken see that for you. The way things are now is too set. You need some adventure."

"Yes. And Starfleet's adventures, in my opinion are too reactive and not active. They don't really start acting until someone else has made them react. My projects are based off of wanting to push the envelope because I could." He shrugged. "Okay. Any other questions?"

Dr. Onnun asked, "Is there time for me to gather local plants and herbs which are not otherwise available?"

"Yes. But check with the elves first as far as what we have … you'd be surprised. Also ask them for any books we have on what Humans used to call Eastern medicine. Actually, talk to me after the meeting."

Harry realized he had gotten an all female medical section. He had known it but it was obvious now. He decided he was fine with that.

"Dawkins, set up a shore leave schedule which works for everyone. I'll be consulting the Prince and others but if there's an emergency, ask."

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Okay. Dismissed." Harry grabbed Onnun as the Apothecary and pointed out two books she could look at: 1001 Herbs and Fungi, and a text on potion ingredients.

Some of the plants were magical and not available but some ingredients were. He also gave her limited access to his credit balance (very large) to make her purchases, much as Sal Ramirez had access to make purchases for the Bruce.

He then made certain that all crew members had their credit accounts filled with what was owed them. Harry realized he needed an accountant.

The trouble was that so much of modern life was tied in to the replicator. Food, medicine, clothes: Just fire up the magical machine and: Voila! Everything needed to survive.

Harry found the whole process vaguely disappointing.

The unique materials and items made by people were more interesting. This is why he encouraged his people to go out and spend.

* * *

Early the next morning, Harry exited the Bruce on his broom and flew to the Palace. He was fed well as a member of the Royal Household.

Somehow, knowledge of his presence got out and the Royal children, between the ages of 5 and 16, had decided to ask to see magic. After ensuring any children of staff members available were also brought, Harry amused the group for a while with a combination of transfiguration and charms.

Everyone _loved_ the Patronus charm.

Harry also turned himself into a ferret and allowed himself to be touched by the youngest children.

Finally he was done. The group cheered and were disappointed at once. "Okay. I have to meet with Prince William, but I should have an hour or two after that. If you obtain permission from your guardians, I will take anyone age ten and younger up for a few minutes each on my broomstick. We can fly around and you can see what it's like to fly. Get permission first."

Harry and William sat down in his office. "You're going to be pestered."

"I know. But it's nice to show off once in a while," Harry replied with amusement and slight embarrassment.

"Well, the children will love you. Anyway. Let's talk about the Bruce and then we'll discuss the Griffon project."

Harry gave over electronic reports and some verbal on what the Bruce had encountered and what he had done. William asked, "What you did to the Bruce. Didn't you do the same thing to the USS Glen Lyon?"

"I did and didn't. We contacted the Glen Lyon, still being used for Botanical studies, but now on a wider basis, and checked how what I did has affected them. Overall, they collect three times as much as a regular ship can collect. But not at warp. At warp, they stay steady and either use a little more or less than they collect."

William asked, "What's the difference?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know but the Bruce has been collecting at Warp under wards which kind of blurs the line between real space and magical space. We _think_, we don't _know_, that there is some correlation. Until we have another ship with both the improved Bussard collectors _and_ the cloaking wards, we won't know."

William nodded and looked at Harry. "So only the Griffon is planned for that."

"Right."

William said, "It's probably just as well. We were contacted as regards the Bruce and its ability to cloak."

"By whom?" he asked.

"The Romulans. They complained to Starfleet, who told them it wasn't a Starfleet vessel and they told the Romulans that it was a private vessel. And then they told the Romulans to call my father."

Harry was concerned as this had been a worry. "What did he say?"

"He told them that it wasn't a device but it was magic. They scoffed. My father invited them to send a representative to investigate. We're waiting for a reply."

Harry wanted to get annoyed that he hadn't been informed, but he was in a way happy that the concerns hadn't been sent on. The Windsors were looking out for his interests.

"That's fine. Just let me know when and where. If we do get a Romulan observer or two, I'd want corresponding Starfleet observers to balance them. Maybe even Klingon observers too."

William made some notes. "I'll make certain that's known." Finishing, he looked up. "Okay. Any other matters of concern for the Bruce."

Harry sighed. "I need more people?"

"Why?" William asked without approval or disapproval in his tone.

"I seem to be moving around a bit and I haven't even got into doing anything on business. Supporting the command team at Deep Space 9, transporting people when it's convenient, and not being too intrusive with the station, I'll need more people so that the ship can run on different watches. I'll need to have two more navigational controllers, two more tactical/security watches, a few more engineers, and a number of people to help take care of the ship and the people on it. I can't treat the Bruce as a ship to take out when there's something happening. I need to treat it as if it is in operation, taking occasional breaks."

William considered that. "Well, we've gotten about 500 people on the Griffon. Right now they are helping to finish installing stations and systems, but then they will be working on the ship in operation. Maybe you can grab a few of those."

Harry was floored. "Why so many?"

William snorted. "Krim told me that his current numbers were low. You have no idea how much work it is keeping such a large vessel running smoothly."

Harry sighed. "I admit that I was _extremely_ naïve and probably still am a bit about those types of things."

William nodded. "We're running Griffon under an Earth flag, though it will answer to you. You're the one who seeded the money and you've got the credits of a large local government operation. If this wasn't the Federation, you'd likely have enough money to buy a moon – maybe a small moon, but a moon all the same. With Federation credits, you'll be able to get anything you need from any Federation world. But you have to decide what role Griffon will have."

"What do you mean, Highness?"

William sighed. "Your idea to have a large vessel able to large Humanitarian missions, colony launches, and sudden large-scale defense was a good one at it's base. But do you know what you've created with the Griffon?"

Harry said, "A huge fricking ship?"

William chuckled at the disguised curse. "You know, it's quite interesting the things that are explained in encyclopedias you brought with you. Your world was overall peaceful. Even the wars were limited to two or three countries fighting and no country ever committed their full army against another unless it was to defend. My Earth, this Earth, was far different. But we did have something similar I found in your Encyclopedias. The navy of the United States and other countries had these things called Carrier Groups."

"I don't recognize the term."

"Do you know what an aircraft carrier was?"

Harry thought back. He had done some tours and he had seen one. "I saw the HMS Illustrious. It was _huge_. It could launch and retrieve airplanes for fighting or other reasons."

William nodded. "Our ancestors always had an Aircraft Carrier or two in operation, but the Unites States had ten or more in operation. They had a navy of hundreds of ships. The carriers were the most expensive and had the most crew."

Harry thought back. "The Illustrious had 650 crew plus a few hundred people who flew the planes."

"That is the model which we're using to crew the Griffon. The United States had carriers with 6000 crew and aircraft personnel."

Harry goggled at that. "I did not know that."

William chuckled. "No reason for you to know." He looked at Harry. "Anyway. The idea is that the carrier was the big ship and with it, smaller ships did other functions. The Griffon would be classed as an Aircraft Carrier." He sighed. "The UK, apparently, had only one or two carriers that operated at any given time. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because they were expensive, _really_ expensive. They also took a _lot_ of people. We didn't have as many as the United States, but still it was a thousand people who had to be housed, fed, and cared for. Add to that the fuel costs and such a ship isn't easy. The Federation has never flown a ship the size of the Griffon. As a principle, we are opposed to war and we didn't want to upset the other governments by building such a ship. Griffon will make the Romulans very nervous and the Klingons might not like it either."

Harry said, "The Cardassian Empire is going to hate it."

"Yes. But I would point out that no one has stopped you, or us, from building it. Do you know why?"

Harry replied, "I've actually thought about that. I was kind of surprised that my pie in the sky dream wasn't shot down. I realized that the neutronium created an economic influence which made it possible to finish. I really didn't have enough to build the ship when I started. I had planned for it taking two to three years and requiring me to complete huge numbers of business deals to continue funding it."

William replied, "That is the economic reason the project wasn't shut down. Do you know the political one?"

"No."

"Because you've based yourself at Bajor and the wormhole makes Bajor too important to treat badly."

Harry was dubious. "Bajor has suffered. It's not been treated as valuable to the Federation despite how important they say the wormhole is."

William said, "Exactly right. The Federation can't move en masse to occupy the area. The Bajorans aren't ready, they have too much resentment for the Federation not helping them when the Cardassians came, and too much activity would make the Klingons, the Cardassians, and the Romulans all nervous. Then, along comes a Human who is not Federation. And he refuses to toe the Federation line. You identify as British first."

Harry said, "I barely see any other government watching. The Bajorans are working on healing their planet and the Federation is trying to play town bobbie for unruly tourists and annoyed residents. They don't have time to play nice with me."

William considered that metaphor. "That sounds accurate. Anyway. The Federation knows that you will not be 'Starfleet' but that you will do what you can to back up Sisko because you appear to owe him or you like him or whatever."

"It's kind of both actually."

"Right. And so the Federation is assured of an ally without being seen as involving themselves too much. And they hope that Griffon being seen and doing good works where they might not be _able_ to act will strengthen their chosen Commander's position even more."

Harry saw what William was saying. He wanted to dislike the fact he was being used, but he had invited the Federation to use him exactly as they were. In fact, he had almost begged for it. "What about the situation with the Cardassian and Federation colonists clashing? And the group calling themselves the Maquis?"

William held up his hand and tapped a communicator. A voice came back. "Hello."

"Father, Sir Harry is ready to hear your decision on the Maquis matter. We are in my office."

"Good. I will be right there."

William cocked an eyebrow at his father's Knight. "This will be an official order – it requires a bit more ceremony."

"I see."

Soon, King Charles was entering the room. Harry stood and bowed his head. "Majesty."

"Sir Harry. William has discussed the situation out at Bajor as regards the current situations?"

"Yes, Sir. I asked him for advice as regards the colonists and the Maquis and how I should be involved."

"Right." William pulled a datachip out. "This is a copy of my orders. Sir Harry Potter; I, Charles VIII, Traditional King of Great Britain and Ireland, Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, give you this order: In the matter of the conflict between the Federation and Cardassia, and/or the Cardassian colonists of the Demilitarized Zone and the Federation colonists of same, you are ordered to remain Neutral.

"You may consort with them, buy from them, sell to them, protect them in an emergency, provide humanitarian aid to them, and, in whatever manner, be a good friend. You may _not_ assist them in acquiring weapons, you may _not_ assist any authority legal or not to arrest, detain, harm, or kill them; you may not take a side. In the case of a declared State of War or Emergency between the Federation or Bajor and the Cardassian Empire, you are authorized to apply all resources at your disposal to removing the Federation and non-Cardassian colonists in the interests of saving their lives.

"Your safety, and the safety of those in your or our employ, shall take precedence. As regards the issue of those within the DMZ: If attacked, you are free to defend yourself in any manner you feel required to achieve safety. If you see an attack against an ally, you may assist your ally by protecting them, preventing the immediate attack, or attacking their attacker. But you may not count yourself as under their orders or controls. Do you have any questions or need any clarification for my orders?"

"No, Your Majesty. I understand and will comply."

"Good." Charles let out a breath. "I'm sorry for doing it this way – I know that my orders magically bind you and I am trying to avoid that. But I had to assure the Federation Council members and the Starfleet Commander that I would give that order. I will report that I have done so and make certain they understand that my order now allows you to protect either Cardassian or Federation colonists under attack. They wanted to stop you from getting involved but I wanted to ensure you had the freedom to follow your conscience save instigating a war on your own authority. My authorization for you to assist Commander Sisko remains unchanged when it isn't as regards the DMZ."

Harry nodded. "Thank you. The orders are sufficiently flexible that I don't feel resentful for them. I will ensure Commander Sisko is made aware of my limitations."

"Good. Take some time to enjoy your visit and tell your crew to do the same. We leave for Beth's Place the morning after next."

"Thank you, Sir. I look forward to seeing the progress."

Charles had a small smile. "Now. What's this about you offering broom rides for my grandchildren?"

* * *

Harry did, as promised, give the children broomstick rides. When asked by no over 10, Harry exlained that it took more magic because they weren't magical and he would already be tired.

It was actually false as he could have taken anyone. But he wanted to treat the youngest children much like he should have been indulged if his parents hadn't been killed when he was a baby. Harry privately admitted the truth to Charles who forgave him.

And then Harry remembered he did have one magical carpet. He had bought one when he was traveling the world to see if it was as much fun – it wasn't for him. But the carpet could hold four. For some reason, people were more nervous about a flying carpet and only a couple took him up on the offer.

Harry then went back to the Bruce and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Early the next morning, Stolel roused him and, knowing they weren't raising the ship that day, Stolel made Harry practice a holo-simulation of an attack. Harry got his ship destroyed once, severely damaged the second time, and then finally got the hang of the exercise.

Harry was feeling a little put out as how vicious Stolel was in training mode but he was thankful too: Harry knew he needed the training.

After the holo time, Harry had to clean up as he had been made to sweat. He then visited Onnum, who was going to be transported to a local open-air market.

Harry asked, "Why not walk?"

Onnun replied, "It is local but 5.2 kilometers away."

Harry got a gleam in his eye. "Any reason I can't drive you there in the Land Rover?"

Onnun considered that. "No."

Harry grinned. "We're going to have some fun." Harry went to the wall panel. It was 10:40 (Stolel had dragged him out at 8:00). "All hands: This is the Captain. In exactly ten minutes I will be driving the Land Rover to a local open-air market for the Apothecary. The Land Rover will fit ten easily and thirty if I cast a spell. I can also carry three hundred kilos of vegetables or whatever. Probably more as the suspension was magically reinforced when I expanded it. If you want to spend some time in such a place, be at the ramp in less than ten minutes. That is all."

Onnun asked, "Is there a reason you have an emotional reaction to the idea of visiting an open-air market?"

Harry shrugged but still smiled. "It's a reminder of my home. I visited a lot of such markets in the twenty-first century as I visited different communities." His smile became a grin. "Besides, I get to drive my Land Rover. What's not to like?"

She nodded. Onnun, T'Kol, T'Lek, Corey, Sal, and Cheryl all were interested. Sal and T'Kol were interested in ship supplies, Onnun was interested in herbs and plants, Cheryl T'Lek and Corey were interested personally. Faath, the nurse, decided to go along with the rest of the medical crew. Dobby and Winky planned to pop in when Harry was there.

Harry loaded everyone in with Onnun up front as she knew where the market was. The Bruce was in a designated park attached to the Palace. Land-based cars were no longer a thing but carts were often used. As a result he had no trouble finding a path.

He parked near where the flying vehicles were parked.

After making certain their badges all connected and setting a return time unless they called Stolel who was willing to transport anyone back, the group set off.

* * *

Harry was surprised to hear a voice calling, "Sir Harry!" It wasn't close but he turned. He heard the voice again. He recognized the man, walking forward with a girl who appeared like a young teenager: Croden and his daughter, Yareth. Harry grinned widely.

Onnun, who hadn't moved off yet, asked, "Who are they?"

"They are Rakhari, from the Gamma Quadrant, a people who have a xenophobic and repressive government. I helped him save his daughter and escape after the government killed his wives and tried to kill him for speaking out."

Harry's smile widened. "Croden! Yareth! You two are looking well."

The girl threw herself at Harry. "I didn't know we would see you again!"

He hunkered down. "Well, here I am. How are you?" Harry listened to her happy report. He looked up at Croden. "So you are doing well." He stood up and stuck his hand out.

Croden shook it. "Yes. After I told Starfleet everything I know regarding the Gamma Quadrant, I was sent to Buckingham Palace. I could have been placed on a farm but the gardens of the Palace were being planted with seeds obtained from you. I was hired to assist the Head Gardener. I was also given permission to collect and sell the honey from the beehives that had been installed there. I help tend the bees and work on increasing the number of hives so that they can be exported around the Island and soon around the world."

"Wow. How is it doing?"

Croden smiled. "Come and see!"

Harry was led by the smiling Croden and the very happy Yareth to a stall where he sold his honey. It was marked as Regii Mel, which was a simple translation of Royal Honey. Harry chuckled at the branding.

In addition to jars of honey Croden also had honeycombs. "Can I taste a small piece of that?"

Croden retrieved it and Harry tasted. "Oh, Merlin. That is really good honey."

Onnun, who had come along, asked, "Honey is nectar collected by the Earth bee?"

"Yes. Properly cared for, they make much more honey than they ever need in case of lean times. But domesticated bees have no lean times if properly cared for so they make a lot of excess. The honey is influenced by what the bees have access to … almond honey is still sweet but can have a bitterness as well for example … but this is close to wild honey. And the combs are made of a waxy substance. We used to make candles from it but in small amounts and if it still is full of honey it's a very tasty treat."

Onnun said, "I would like to try it."

Croden cheerfully provided another small sample. "It is very sweet."

"It is also very useful. It has antibacterial qualities – a wound immediately covered in honey will not fester, though insects will come so it's not a good method of treatment. But honey stored in the great pyramids in Ancient Egypt was still edible thousands of years later. It does not become rancid if properly stored. Honey was considered a superfood when I am from."

"I would like to purchase a small amount."

Harry asked, "How much do you have?" Croden told him. "I'll take whatever I can get as well as some of the honeycomb. We can store it for as long as we like and have it for cooking and for trade or for gifts."

Croden was surprised. "It's Saturday and the market will be busy until 3:00. If you are willing, I can return to my storage for the honey and comb. But I'd rather not disappoint anyone who might be coming as I have been talking about the fresh honey I would have available."

Harry nodded. "That's reasonable." He looked down at the girl. "And if your father gives permission, I can fly you around like I did with the Royal children."

She looked at her father with a begging face and he nodded.

* * *

Onnun moved on her own from there and Harry enjoyed walking around, seeing what was available. He bought a few things, and Dobby and Winky had come as well to buy fresh vegetables. They would store them as they had the food they had brought with them.

In the end, the visit had been more recreational than useful though Sal and T'Kol had bought some dried supplies for future use. Harry bought fresh fruits and vegetables to store magically. He intended to gift some to Commander Sisko for his cooking.

Harry also considered setting up a cooking area on the Bruce and hiring a chef. There was something more satisfying about cooking fresh food. The replicators could provide meats and fish to be cooked to preference.

Harry was perfectly willing to eat real meat.

At 3:00, Harry bought the remaining honey and combs that Croden hadn't sold/traded away. Harry himself helped load it into the Land Rover. The four who hadn't transported back were willing to allow Harry to load the man's cart into the back and Harry drove the Land Rover to Croden's house which was on Palace lands.

"This is where we live."

Harry looked out. "It's nice."

"It is. It got a little cold over the winter but London is not as cold as it gets up north. We took a trip and saw fields two feet deep in snow."

Harry chuckled. "I remember winter in Scotland."

They got out and Harry magically unloaded the card. "Let's see how much I can sell and still have a stock for next week. I'm not scheduled to gather more honey for a week and there is processing time."

In the end, Harry got about 80 gallons. "Okay. Besides the credits I have one more thing I can give you for the honey."

Croden asked, "Oh?"

Harry smirked. "Dobby!" Dobby popped in. "Can you retrieve a package of yeast and the instructions for making mead?"

"Mead?" Croden asked.

"I remembered you said your people made wine. Honey and water and yeast make up a similar drink called mead. It's more rustic but my people, British like those you live with, _loved_ mead. Madam Rosemerta's Mead was famous but the honey she used was likely from magical plants. Still, great mead is absolutely the greatest thing. You can drink it warm in winter too. Just experiment and you can find something people are going to love."

Dobby appeared and handed over the yeast and the parchment. Harry pointed to the small jar. "That is yeast we brought that we had in stasis. It's from Great Britain so it's not a biological problem to introduce it if it's a different strain than is currently available. You can find other yeast if that doesn't work as well. Still, look up how to grow yeast. Don't let it die and always keep a sample aside."

Croden smiled. "I have made wine, I understand yeast."

"Good." He looked at the daughter. "Let's fly now." He turned. "Dobby? My broom."

* * *

Early the next morning, Lt. Commander Cavit arrived in another shuttlepod. "Permission to come aboard."

"Permission granted," Harry replied returning his salute. "We're not underway so we can observe the niceties. I'm surprised to see you as our pilot again."

"I'm finished with my briefings at Starbase 1 and need to return to Mars as my ship is being launched soon and I need to be there to make sure everything is ship shape. There is going to be a shakedown period before she's officially on her first mission and I need to be there. Your flight plan includes a stop at Utopia Planetia and I officially request passage after my duties are finished."

Harry considered that. "That's fine." Harry walked with the man toward the bridge. "The Bruce's Shakedown period was minimal – I took her right into service. But we also have had it easy."

Harry and Cavit arrived and Harry led him to the Ready Room. He walked in and stopped. "Your Majesty. The Harbor Pilot, Lt. Commander Aaron Cavit of Starfleet, has arrived and we are about to lift off. Would you like to see the ship lift from the bridge or would you prefer to stay here in comfort?"

Charles stood up. "Let's see Lt. Commander Cavit work."

Cavit had quickly gotten over his shock. "I welcome it, Your Majesty."

Harry smirked. "I should have told him that Charles VIII of Great Britain was on board but it slipped my mind."

"Old age obviously, Sir Harry."

"Quite right, Sir."

Harry put Charles in the now-installed First Officer's chair and then looked at Dawkins. "Have we started up, Dawkins?"

"All systems operational, Captain."

"Good." Harry stepped in front of Cavit. "You have the con."

"I accept the con."

Cavit sat in the Captain's chair and hit the panel. "This is Harbor Pilot Cavit. All Hands: Condition Blue. We are lifting the Bruce to orbit. All Hands: Condition Blue."

Harry once again sat at an unused station and observed.

Harry had originally had a single chair in the command area. However, there was a configuration to have two chairs, one for the Captain and one for a Senior Officer, usually the XO.

Harry knew he was going to need an XO and so he had gotten Corey to install the chair. Of course, with the King on board, that was who was placed there.

In a very short order, the BSS Bruce was in orbit and Cavit stood up. The two men exchanged salutes and Harry took command. "All Hands. We will be stopping at Utopia Planetia and then we will be moving on the our last stop before returning to Earth. We are at normal operational status, which I will now term Condition Green. Potter, Off." He turned off the comm. "Martinez. Set course for Utopia Planetia, Full Impulse, engage."

Cavit, watching, asked, "Condition Green?"

"Yes. You have Condition Red, Red Alert, for emergencies and battles, Condition Yellow, Yellow Alert, for caution, and now Condition Blue for landing. Old traffic lights had red, yellow, and green. Green meant go, normal traffic, just be on your way. Condition Green makes sense. So that's what I'm going to order to tell the crew to stand down from whatever they have been hyped into. Green alert would sound silly."

Stolel, from Tactical, volunteered, "It _is_ logical. Green lights are used to indicate safety or normality on ships."


	35. Utopia Planitia and the Griffon

A/N: If I made a mistake in tech? Sorry. I'm just writing for fun. Condition Green in Star Trek was a code on Kirk's Enterprise to indicate that a crew member calling in was under duress. But it wasn't standard fleetwide. Normal operational status was called that or something similar – no official name that I could find.

* * *

Harry asked Cavit if he could travel with him to the shipyards. "I really don't like transporters and I don't want to launch my shuttle."

Cavit looked at Harry and said, "I came in a type 15 – the smallest shuttle in the fleet. It carries one person with very little room for even cargo."

Harry said, "I know. But I can do this."

He transformed into a ferret and then looked at the Commander. He then changed back. "I can sit right at the window or curl up on the floor."

Cavit said, "I suppose that will be acceptable." He paused. "How do you do that?"

Harry smirked. "Magic."

Cavit waited for Harry to turn over command to Dawkins and the two men left. "Why do you need to travel to the surface?"

"Charles and I need to communicate with the man who is in charge. And then we can move back to the actual shipyards which are in orbit."

"How will you get back?"

Harry smirked. "You'll see."

The small shuttlepod launched and Cavit flew it down to the surface. Mars domed cities and the man running the shipyards was based there. Harry was specifically going to talk about the parts deliveries and he was going to charge the runes on the Bussard collectors of four ships to provide a wide test.

Harry sat as a ferret and enjoyed the view. He had never flown through space in the shape of a ferret.

Cavit smoothly traversed the landing pad in one dome. Much like the bays on a ship, the shuttle flew easily through a force field holding in the air.

"Okay. I guess my new CO is going to meet us."

Harry chattered inquisitively and Cavit said, "It's the woman standing next to the Admiral Patterson."

Cavit landed the shuttle and opened the door.

"Commander. We were told our VIP was coming, though we don't see him," said the older man.

The woman said with amusement, "Unless he's the ferret."

Harry chattered at them and then changed back to his base form. "That would be me. Sir Harry Potter, Commanding BSS Bruce, at your service." At their silence he said, "Lt. Commander Cavit was gracious enough to bring me as transporters and I have a 'let's just nod as we pass each other' relationship."

The woman got herself together first. "Hello, Sir Harry Potter. I'm Captain Catherine Janeway and this is Admiral Patterson."

Harry asked curiously, "No first name?"

The pleasant man said, "I prefer not to use it – my parents decided to saddle me with a very traditional German name."

"I understand. I had a cousin who insisted she was named Tonks because her mother named her Nymphadora. When she married she changed her name to Tonks Lupin."

The man said with humor, "For some reason Theodorich doesn't sound so bad now."

Harry scoffed. "That's not bad. It's just the German version of Theodore – Tonks' father was named Theodore but everyone called him Ted."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I supposed you can call me Ted."

"Privately and when the King isn't here. And speaking of that, I should get him down here." Harry concentrated. "Dobby!"

His faithful friend appeared. "Okay. You see where I am. We can have King Charles now."

"Yes, Master Harry." Dobby disappeared.

Patterson asked, "What was that?"

"That was my House Elf, a retainer of mine, and he apparated. King Charles found out that I prefer to apparate from ship to surface and back and wanted to find out what if feels like. He wanted me to do it but House Elves are smoother than Wizards and I'd prefer to not subject the King to side-along by me."

Dobby then popped back with King Charles. "That is a singularly peculiar sensation."

"As you say, Your Majesty. You've met Lt. Commander Cavit. This is his Commanding Officer, Captain Janeway, and her superior, Admiral Patterson." He turned, "I present Charles VIII, of Great Britain and Ireland, Traditional King, Head of the Commonwealth of Nations."

Patterson and Janeway were respectful as they greeted him. Charles scoffed. "Don't let Sir Harry railroad you into formality. He's the only one who cares about it. Considering the fact I don't actually _rule_ anything, I figure you can get away with Mr. Windsor or even Charles. Or if we get friendly, Chuck. But Sir Harry can be a pompous bastard."

Harry grinned. "The honest truth? There were far too many people, when I was younger, who forced me to address them respectfully even when they were horrible. I found Queen Elizabeth and you, King Charles, actually worth the effort so I maintain the rules of etiquette. Blame my upbringing."

Charles sighed. "Yes. Twentieth Century Britain. Very well." He turned to Patterson and Janeway. "We're here to answer questions as to the validity of magic so that Sir Harry can get permission to activate the runic arrays that were inscribed into a few ships, including your own. Isn't that right, Captain Janeway?"

Patterson and Janeway both had been listening in. And both realized they had been, effectively, run over. Neither could deny the possibility of magic because they had observed both the change from a ferret and magical travel. There had been no transporter trace. "Yes. I believe I can say we do believe it is possible."

"Good." Charles turned to Harry. "Sir Harry. Do you have any suggestions for further proof?"

Harry smirked. "Winky!"

Winky popped in next to Dobby. "You called, Master Harry?"

He smiled at her. "Admiral? Inform your people you will be away for a demonstration with Captain Janeway and will return soon. You will be able to be contacted on the BSS Bruce."

Patterson looked agreeable. "Very well." He did that and then turned. "And now?"

"Winky will pop you up to my ship, Dobby will take King Charles, and Captain Janeway gets the lowly wizard – sorry." Winky and Dobby both grabbed their person and snapped their fingers. He looked at Janeway. "They make it look so easy." Harry walked over to her and grabbed her arm. "Here we go." And he disapparated.

* * *

When they appeared in his ready room Janeway said, "I prefer transporters."

Harry chuckled as he let go. "The bridge is this way."

Everyone was present when they arrived. "Sorry. My elves can travel more safely and with less risk of popping in the same place as someone else is standing. Not knowing where they arrived, I though it safer to move to the Ready Room. Anyway. We're all here now?"

Charles said, "Everyone is here."

"Okay. We're going to move at impulse under normal circumstances, warp under normal circumstances, and then warp and impulse under the wards. We're doing this to allow Patterson and Janeway to see how our Bussard collectors are."

Everyone echoes, "Yes, Captain."

"Sir?" he said to Charles. "You can stay in the First Officer's chair. Admiral? You and the captain will likely be able to observe easily from the Engineer's station or looking over Dawkins shoulder at Ops."

Everyone sorted themselves out. "Okay people. Ignore the guests, we're Condition Green." He hit the shipwide PA. "All hands. Condition Green. We'll be moving out an hour or so at warp and then returning to Mars. All hands: Condition Green." He turned it off. "Martinez. Set course 170 mark 92, Full Impulse. At ten minutes, increase speed to Warp 5."

"170 Mark 92, Aye."

Harry turned. "Watch the Bussard collectors and the deuterium numbers as we move at impulse in a stellar system."

Janeway and Patterson both watched. At a certain point, Patterson joined Janeway at Engineering. "The guage reads that the collectors are operating between 180 and 240 percent efficiency."

Patterson nodded and turned. "How?"

"I've set a ward to actively gather deuterium rather than waiting to run into it. It's not that the Bussards are better, it's just that the particles are easier to get to."

Harry let them discuss that. Patterson asked, "What made you think of that?"

"Lars Dresbach, Chief Royal Engineer, was helping me after I took over the Bruce. The Warp 5 limitations are a direct result of warp drive leaving excess particles and high speed particles behind. Higher warp leaves more particles. The barrier between subspace and normal space is being affected by too many particles left behind pressing against the barrier. In enough time, there will be instability. It's much worse in areas like the Hekares Corridor but it's a problem that needed solving. This is our first attempt."

Patterson nodded. "Promising."

"Okay. We've seen enough. Increase speed to Warp 5."

"Warp 5, Aye."

Janeway asked, "By the way. What's Condition Green?"

Harry sighed. "Normal operation. Stand down from Red Alert still leaves people worried in my opinion. Condition Green follows the Condition Blue for landing, Red alert or Condition Red for battle or emergencies, and Yellow alert or Condition Yellow for caution. It goes back to the old traffic lights on Earth: Green, Yellow, Red. It was something I decided to try today. It's worked so far."

Janeway shrugged. This wasn't a Starfleet vessel. He could use whatever he wanted. She commented, "Condition Grey is minimal power due to insufficient fuel or other reasons."

Harry consdired that. "I'd use Condition Brown. In the twentieth century when there was insufficient electricity in a particular grid such that some people lost power or power was unstable, it was called a brown-out."

Patterson and Janeway checked the collectors. Surprisingly, they were still working at warp. "It's still collecting more than it's using," Janeway said.

"Yes. Sol has had people flying warp from the system for centuries now. Subspace likely has a bunch of expended warp particles or, in other words, deuterium that has now cooled off. We're just picking up what was left behind previously."

Janeway looked at Harry. "So you've actually come up with a system to reverse the damage."

"We _hope_," Harry replied. "I don't know enough about warp physics to say positively. But removing more than you're leaving behind can only be a good thing."

Patterson asked, "What do you do when you've filled your reserve?"

"We bled some off to Deep Space 9 for their fusion generators. They were more than happy to accept."

"I imagine so." Patterson watched for a few more moments. "Well. That is definitely worth it."

"We're not done yet. Martinez. Increase speed to Warp 7.5."

"Warp 7.5, Aye."

Both Patterson and Janeway watched the readings. Janeway finally turned. "I have a few questions."

"Go ahead."

"The ship is flying at 7.5. According to specs the maximum speed of this engine is 8.0. It has a cruising speed of 7.0 – 7.1 if the engineer is very good. And yet, your ship shows no strain at 7.5."

"Right."

"How?"

Harry smirked. "What does your ship has that you've never seen in a warp engine before?"

She thought about it. "Neutronium parts."

"Well, Neutronium coating. That was because of magic that it became possible. We're providing Starfleet with warp engine parts and structural components that are coated in neutronium. We can't make a solid neutronium item. But a coating between a few microns to a few hundred has made it possible to run the warp plasma hotter, more safely, with less requirement for magnetic integrity fields to be generated to support the magnetic bottles holding the plasma and the antimatter particles to counter the extra stress. Thus a higher cruising speed and, properly aligned, a higher maximum warp. We can reach 8.67 – or so my Chief Engineer tells me. I only flew it once at Warp 8 for two hours to test it. I had no desire to test if faster."

Janeway nodded and went back to reading the deutrerium counts. "We're now getting a miniscule increase or it stays flat."

"Martinez, set course 005 mark 25."

"005 Mark 25, Aye."

"Why?" Patterson asked.

"I want to move us off any regular traffic lane. A random direction should allow us to cross traffic lanes but not stay in one. Watch the numbers."

Both visitors went back to watching the deuterium count. Janeway finally observed, "It drops, it rises, it stays steady. Where no ships normally travel, it drops. In a regular lane, it rises. What about Warp 5 on this route?"

"Martinez. Drop to Warp 5."

"Warp 5, Aye."

After a few minutes Patterson said, "It goes up. Irregularly, sometimes more sometimes less, but it is rising."

"Right. The collector is _pulling in_ the available particles. Thus, we're collecting more than we're using."

"So this works as long as you're in a path that is regularly used."

"So it seems."

Patterson said, "I'm convinced. We'll submit a report to our superiors. But I am authorizing you to go ahead."

Janeway said, "I concur."

"Good. One more thing. Martinez. Drop to impulse."

"What are you showing?"

"Check the numbers."

Both the Admiral and the Captain looked. "It's steady or it gathers a tiny amount. But it's not collecting anything."

"We're in a random space. We're not in a warp bubble. There aren't many particles out here. But we can collect what's here."

Both looked and agreed that seemed correct.

"Now. The last set of tests."

"Dawkins. Check sensor relays. Is the BSS Bruce able to be located."

Dawkins did the check he was getting very experienced running. "Federation relays show BSS Bruce on scanners."

"Activate wards."

"Aye, Captain." After a moment Dawkins called out, "Federation relays no longer track BSS Bruce."

"Okay." He looked at the visitors. "We are cloaked by magic and not a device. Also, we're not Starfleet or really Federation. We're Earth and a diplomatic yacht. But check the Bussard numbers now."

Dawkins called out, "Captain. We've got a message coming in for Admiral Patterson."

"Do you want to take it here or in my ready room?"

"I'll take it here."

"Main screen."

A man in a Lieutenant's uniform was on screen. "Admiral! Our scans suddenly lost the Bruce and we were worried."

Patterson said, "We're fine. It's not technology but it's something which has an effect on concerns of the Federation. I'll check back in an hour. But I'm okay."

* * *

It took another few moments of verifying but soon that was taken care of. "Okay. Set course for Utopia Planitia shipyards. Full impulse. Engage."

"Full impulse, Aye."

Patterson and Janeway watched. "It's showing collection even though we're not at warp."

"Yes. And we don't know why this is so. And you can't research it because that would violate the Treaty of Algeron. My guess is that it has to do with magic, something called Wizarding space."

"Wizarding space?"

"Dobby." The elf appeared. "Please bring out an empty trunk."

"Yes, Master Harry."

Harry motioned to Janeway to open it. She did and goggled at the large space and the ladder going down. "That's Wizarding space. Magic. It doesn't make sense. Get used to it." She closed it. Harry cast a shrinking charm and did a permanent conjuration. He attached it to the shrunken trunk. He smirked at Janeway, who looked the most put out. "Here. If you can ever figure out how to cancel the skrinking charm, you can use it for whatever you like."

"I have no magic."

Harry smirked. "I know. I'm being an arse. My elves and I finally offloaded a whole heap of what we brought from home and we have a few extra empty trunks. This is a souvenir." He was giving her an impossible to piss her off for a reason: It was mostly because she seemed almost disapproving of the fact that she couldn't explain what she was seeing. Patterson, in contrast, was almost giddy. If she ever figured it out, she would deserve its use.

Janeway was curious enough to accept it. Harry called out, "Increase speed to Warp 5."

"Warp 5, Aye."

Janeway and Patterson watched the readings and were shocked to see that the deuterium collection didn't drop at all.

"Increase speed to warp 8.4."

"Warp 8.4, Aye."

After a few minutes the comm sounded. "Blake to the Captain."

"Go ahead, Ollie."

"Is there a reason you're stressing the engines?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No. At least not for ten hours. I just want to know what's coming." Oliver Blake sounded mildly curious.

"We're testing the Bussard collectors under cloak at different speeds. We'll drop to cruisng speed soon."

"Okay. Warn me next time, Captain." Blake's tone was casual.

"I'll try, Ollie."

"Engineering, Out."

Janeway asked, "That was a very casual way for a crew member to the Captain."

Harry shrugged. "We're not Starfleet. Besides, Blake trusts me. He just doesn't want me to stupidly endanger his engines." Harry turned. "Martinez. Drop to Warp 7.5."

"Warp 7.5, Aye."

He turned back. "I've read some of the ways that a good engineer operates. And almost invariably they work better if you just let them own their workspace. They'll then start trying to show off. As you can see by the fact that my ship cruises at 7.5. Originally that was closer to 7.25."

Dawkins said, "We should bet him he can't get 7.6, Captain."

King Charles laughed. "That would work. I know my Engineers were mighty chuffed at being nicknamed The Lads by you and Dresbach after you got them to do a few difficult things. Got a bit of swagger at that."

Harry grinned. "As you say, Sir." Harry looked back. "Engineers are their own breed and the good ones take pride in doing what no one else can."

Patterson chuckled. "I've known a few like that."

Janeway said, "I'll remember that."

"How are the numbers?" Harry asked.

Dawkins read out the Bussard collector numbers. And it showed they were still collecting.

"Okay. So we collect more than we use. We're really going to have to verify why that is the case."

Admiral Patterson said, "When you find out let Starfleet know. However, I'd like to send an extra ship or two to get the same Runic arrays activated. I'm going to talk to my superiors about attempting to clean up the Hekaras Corridor. It will be a valid way to see if your enchantments really are reversing subspace instability."

Harry shrugged. "I'm willing."

Patterson nodded. "How long until we return to Utopia Planitia?"

Harry asked, "How long, Martinez?"

"We'll hit Sol in .46 hours if we maintain this speed."

"When we hit one light year out, drop the wards, Dawkins. When we hit 10 AU from Sol, drop to full impulse."

"Aye, Captain," was echoed by both.

Janeway was curious. "Why 10 AU?"

"It's easier for me to say than 1.5 billion kilometers or 1.5 terameters."

Patterson asked, "Who says terameters?"

"No one. I don't know why though. Do you know how much I had to study to learn all the prefixes and suffixes for the Metric system? I never learned them in school I had to read all about it in my twenties. From what I read the whole reason for the system is so that you can use a single prefix and instead we say Billion or Trillion kilometers." Harry had a little rant because that was something that he had run into when he had started studying things Hogwarts never explained.

Janeway said, "Well, it's easier for most people to just use common terms. They understand kilometer."

Harry shook his head. "The whole system is based on standardizing units and using prefixes: A meter, an easily divisible division of the Earth about a yard long; a Liter, a cubic decimeter of water; a Gram, a cubic centimeter of water. It's all based on water and Earth."

Everyone one the bridge was confused. "Water and the Earth?" Dawkins asked.

Harry sighed. "You can't seriously now know what I'm talking about. I'm scientifically semi-literate and I had to sit through a whole explanation on what the metric system is based on."

Dawkins said, "We know the system. When did you learn it?"

Harry considered. "2002? I think. I had resolved to lock myself away and start learning everything I could."

Janeway said, "A section of Earth – explain what you mean."

Harry said, "Okay. About 1790 there was a push to standardize weights and measures from the old Imperial system. They needed a system which was universal. They decided to make it base 10 and use prefixes and suffixed. They used what they measured as the circumference of the earth and figured out the Earth's circumference divided by 40,000,000 made a length about a yard long."

"But the Earth is 40,074,275 meters in circumference at its equator," Stolel observed.

"I'm surprised you know that but the people measuring didn't measure at the equator – so they were off. Also they were off because this was before we made it into space and they made a mistake. But the exact reasons didn't matter in the end. They could have just picked any length."

"And your point about water?" Dawkins asked.

"Right. Isn't water the only substance known to science which is at its smallest in a liquid state? I was told that's why they picked it."

Janeway said, "That was never emphasized that way to me. And you say you're scientifically semi-literate?" She was being polite - her knowledge of science was much vaster than his own and he knew it.

Harry shrugged. "I hired an old Science teacher who taught teenage children to teach me the basics. Wizards need simple instructions when it comes to science and he was good. He knew all kinds of things that made science interesting."

Stolel said, "The reasons for the measurement systems used by Humans was never explained in a place in which Vulcans were aware. Your systems are translated into ours by the universal translator until we learn English. And then the terms are just defined without their reasons."

Harry nodded. "I'm sure your measurements are based on Vulcan things. But I suppose a system based on water is more universal than any other system. So it really doesn't matter if Humans came up with it – as long as it works. Only the length of a meter, in the end, is arbitrary."

* * *

Harry shook himself to the present. "Okay. We're about half an hour out, right?"

"Yes, Captain," Martinez reported.

"Does anyone want refreshments? We can take a break either in my ready room or the lounge."

Janeway said, "I'll take some coffee, black."

Harry grinned. "Okay. Guests. Come this way."

He led them into the Captain's Ready Room and called Dobby and Winky. "We need refreshments. Please take their orders and I'll have my preferred tea."

Harry conjured a table and four chairs. Winky and Dobby popped off and Harry sat his guests down. A few moments later the elves popped back in and served drinks. Patterson and King Charles took tea as well. Janeway asked for black coffee.

All were appreciative. Janeway asked, "What kind of coffee is this?"

Harry called Winky. "What was the coffee you served?"

Winky replied, "It is a mix of coffee from Blue Mountains, Jamaica, and from Columbia. I made it because I thought both alone were too simple."

Janeway said, "Thank you, Winky. It was one of the best cups of coffee I remember having."

Winky looked at her and said, "You're welcome."

Harry said, "Now I feel horrible. I was a bit of an arse with the trunk and you're one of the few who acknowledged my elves with no prompting." He got an idea. "Winky? We have a small metal carafe with a twist lid?"

Winky thought about it. "Yes." She brought it and Harry recognized it: He had bought it during his travels at a time when he tried camping, well camping Wizard style. He didn't like roughing it fully Muggle.

"Please bring a rune etching kit, and a larger carafe of the same coffee blend you served."

"Yes, Master Harry."

The people around him were quite interested. Winky brought back what was asked for. "Okay. First: We need to change this so that I can etch runes more easily." Harry transfigured the stainless steel.

"Is that gold?"

Harry smirked. "Not real. It will change back after a short time. It's a kind of fake gold but gold can be etched easily." Harry quickly etched several runes into the item. He then cancelled the transfiguration. He repeated the same with the small twist lid.

"Okay. Now I need to cast spells." He pulled his wand and cast three charms. "Now we pour the coffee in." Once that was done and it was full, Harry put the lid on. "And now to activate the runes to make the charms permanent." He tapped the carafe with his wand and it glowed for a brief moment.

"All done." He handed the item to Janeway. "A gift to make up for being an arse about the trunk."

Charles asked, "What did you do?"

Harry grinned. "I have given the good Captain a carafe that will pour coffee until it gets destroyed. In my home society, it would be illegal as all hell to gift it to someone without magic, but there are replicators here. Theoretically, she could get a passable version from there. This just allows her to have the coffee without needing a replicator."

Patterson asked, "What were these 'spells'?"

"Everfull charm, heating charm, unbreakable charm. Unbreakable charms take much more magic on large items. But on small items? This was easy for me."

Janeway poured a little more coffee as a warm up. It was just as good. "Thank you. That quite makes up for any obnoxiousness about the trunk." Harry was happy she seemed to see the humor in it all.

"Just don't lose it. I'm not making a family heirloom here, so I'm not putting on the anti-theft charms."

Charles asked, "How do anti-theft charms work?"

"Well, the Goblins of Gringotts bank used to have an option that could return a lost or stolen item to a vault. They were pretty strict about keeping their techniques a secret, but there are ways to do similar things with Human magic. The trouble is that you have to store it in a magical box when you're not using them or they'll return to you. It requires a blood bonding for each person who takes ownership. More trouble than it's worth unless it's a family heirloom."

Janeway said, "I'll just be careful with it."

Harry chuckled. "Good." He paused. "The enchantment normally lasts for an amount of time and then wears off. I don't know how long it will last. It could run out. Just be careful because I can't guarantee it's permanent. But keep it to yourself if you could."

"Why is that?" she asked.

Harry asked, "Have you ever heard of a cornucopia?"

Patterson knew that one. "A horn of plenty, which gives never-ending bounty."

Harry nodded. "In my world, the legend of the cornucopia was based on an enchanted item. Problem was that it was overused and stopped working. The man who was using it to convince people he was a god weren't happy when he couldn't fix it. They ended up killing him."

* * *

They talked about other myths that were real in Harry's home timeline. They were interrupted. "Bridge to Captain Potter."

He hit his badge. "Go ahead."

"We're about two minutes from Sol."

"Thank you."

He stood up. "Let's get us back to finish the charging."

They left the room. "Martinez. Drop to Warp 5. Dawkins, release ward."

"Aye, Captain."

Dawkins did as ordered. "Sensor relays now track BSS Bruce."

"Inform me when we hit 10 AU and drop to impulse."

"Aye, Captain."

Just a few seconds later Martinez called out, "We've reached the assigned distance, dropping to impulse. We are twenty two minutes from Utopia Planitia."

Patterson checked in and made arrangements for the group to travel to Voyager – one of Voyager's shuttles was being sent over.

It took several hours but Voyager and three additional ships with runic arrays built into the Cussard collector covers had them activated.

Patterson informed Harry that he would have all Bussard collectors made with the Runic arrays etched in because there was no reason not to. If approved, he would be able to activate any ship newly made at the yards. If Starfleet didn't, the runes would have no effect positive or negative.

Harry was then flown back to the Bruce and they were now ready to go the Elizabeth Yard.

* * *

"Dawkins. Activate cloaking ward."

"Cloaking ward, Aye."

"Martinez, set course for," he gave out the coordinates. "Engage."

It took a bit of effort and they had to log in properly to be allowed in. But Harry was happy to fly the Bruce into the cavern. He stopped the ship at the entrance. "Majesty? Where's the shipyard?"

Charles laughed. "You like what Mr. Krim did to the place?"

"What did he do?"

Dawkins replied, "Captain. The wall in front of us reads as a hologram."

"That's right. Krim wanted something to prevent ships getting a distant visual and zooming in. He came up with a hologram to simulate a wall. However, it's not solid and I am told that one can traverse it using thrusters."

Harry goggled. "But that's nearly a kilometer wide and half a kilometer tall."

King Charles said, "So it is. Just use thrusters."

"Move forward, half thrusters."

Harry was amazed when the Bruce's forward camera cleared the holo-illusion. From the Bruce's position they could see the large front of the BSS Griffon. They had discarded the BS designation and just used a NX designation as it was classified as an Experiment.

"Call coming in from Elizabeth Command."

"On screen."

The screen changed to show Krim Aldos, looking quite satisfied, next to Lars Dresbach who must have come while the Bruce was on the ground or showing off for the Starfleet visitors.

"Sir Harry. You've finally come to see your second ship."

Harry chuckled. "Yes I have. I'd like a flyby first. Where should we park?"

"Sending coordinates now." Dawkins nodded. "There is a docking connection based off of the pylons at Deep Space 9. And then we'll take a shuttle."

"Sounds great."

"We'll see you in a few minutes."

As promised, there was a docking point sticking out of the habitat section – there were actually two docking points but the Bruce was directed to the innermost one.

Harry had to admit that Elizabeth Yard was far more developed that it had been when he was here last.

* * *

"Dawkins. Martinez. Do what's needed to dock up. I don't need to feel important reading off their instructions. Dawkins, you have the conn."

Harry sat back and watched as Dawkins directed Martinez to get the Bruce smoothly locked into the docking point. "Well done." Harry hit shipwide. "All hands. We are docked at Elizabeth Yard, the construction location of the BSS Griffon. Secure all stations. Normal Docking Schedule, Federation Standard Cycle."

He stood up. "Sir?" He looked at Charles. "Are we ready to go look?"

"I'm ready." Charles stood up and the "But I say we eat before the tour."

Harry nodded. "I agree."

"What is Docking Schedule, Federation Standard Cycle?"

Harry replied, "Someone has to be in charge all the time, even docked. One officer is always on call, even if we're secured. Normally it's a 26-Hour cycle because Deep Space 9 is on Bajoran time. But at Sol, we go to 24 hours."

"That sounds like a good practice."

"Stolel came up with it since he signed on. Before that it was less formal. He's trying to make certain we're prepared for anything."

Harry and the king exited the ship and were greeted by Krim and someone who seemed to be a personal assistant. "Welcome, Majesty, Sir Harry, to Elizabeth Yard."

"Thank you," Charles said. "But I'm just here as a tag-along."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Can we eat first? We've been flying around and, save for tea, we haven't eaten."

Krim nodded. "We can go to Deck 4 of this habitat, the Constellation habitat."

"Constellation?" Harry asked.

Krim nodded. "There was a need to increase the berthing area and crew services quickly. Three primary hulls from ships that have names that have been reused were obtained, installed, and connected. This was a Constellation class ship hull. We also have a Deadelus Class and a Rigel Class. Part of the crew training is to repair and maintain the habitat space as though they were on a ship."

"Which is why it looks almost Starfleet standard."

"Correct."

They got to the replimat and ordered food. Harry had Shepherd's Pie. As he started to eat it he grimaced. King Charles asked, "What's wrong?"

"This is not the Shepherd's Pie program my elves made." Krim had no clue – he wasn't British. But Charles looked interested. "It's alright – but there's a reason why I had my House Elves programming replicators for months."

Krim said, "It could be that the particular programming came with the hulls. They were from a Surplus Depot, though one of the engineers termed it a junkyard."

Harry nodded. "You've got a point. Remind me to transfer the programming I've got on the Bruce. We've got the best Bajoran dishes as well as the best versions of every dish my elves could program. For a while there, I was eating a different recipe every meal and I wasn't complaining." He smirked. "I got to be the taste tester."

Krim said, "Well, I'd like to test your Bajoran meals."

"Sure. Before we leave."

* * *

They finished eating after ten minutes and Krim then took them to a special shuttle that had been put together just for the yard.

Harry looked around. "This is really cool." He touched the surface of the material. "It's almost as cool as a large Jetson's car would be."

Charles, Krim, his assistant, and the pilot all turned. Charles asked, "Jetsons?"

"The Jetsons was a children's animated television show from when I was young envisioning life in the future. Their flying car was covered by a bubble of glass."

Krim said, "Well, this is transparent aluminum with as little viewing obstruction as possible above one meter in the fore portion."

"How hard was this to build?"

"It's a modified Type 9 shuttle. We have Sphinx-class workpods, and work bees, but they only hold one person. This is specifically an inspection vehicle."

Harry was able to view the Griffon in detail. "It's beautiful. I see that four nacelles was the final decision." The original design of the Galactica in fiction had huge landing bays. In a warp vehicle, that space was needed for warp nacelles. There were two nacelles on each side separated by a small gap.

"Yes. Calculations made it less likely to experience instability if there were four nacelles. Two larger nacelles could create a sufficient warp field but four makes it easier."

"And I see the four impulse engine look was kept."

"Yes. It's a very large ship."

Harry peered at the engines. "What's with the extra openings on the casings?"

Krim replied, "It allows the impulse engines to push in that direction to slow down. Most ships can be slowed because the inertial dampeners make them, as far as real space goes, almost weightless and the force needed to slow or stop them doesn't require a visible aperture. This required a visible aperture."

"We don't have to worry it will cause damage to ships landing or taking off?"

"No. It is just a slightly larger version of what can be found on most ships. The apertures can't be easily damaged because they have a neutronium coating to prevent them from being deformed if the ship is fired upon."

Harry nodded. "It is a beast isn't it. Why is it grey rather than white?"

Krim answered, "The formulation of the armor. We obtained the basic formulation for ablative armor from the Federation – they _really_ like the warp engine and structural components we can make and were willing to provide much more than what they would provide a non-Earth entity. But the duranium is combined with another material that makes it a medium gray. You'll be able to read about it when you study the specs."

"Those plates?" he motioned toward two areas that were shaped uniquely on the hull.

"The ship has four rail guns. Those two are the visible places that can be retracted when the barrels are extended when deployed."

Harry was curious. "I put most of this into the hands of the Engineers. But why only four? I had originally asked to have half as many as the fictional Galactica had."

Krim replied, "No one uses kinetic weapons – energy weapons are more damaging and one doesn't want to send solid objects out at which might accidentally cause an extinction event if it hits a planet at full speed. Finding suppliers to produce the parts was not easy and we were not set up for it. I know you wanted an array of them in case it could be used against enemies that were otherwise not vulnerable, but we had to minimize space used. The rail guns use mechanisms that are four meters around and twenty meters long. Not a large percentage of the size of the ship. But it does cut significantly into available space for system installation."

Harry said, "I just think it's the only weapon that might damage the Borg if they show up again."

"We'll see."

* * *

Harry noticed an area that was open into space. "How long until it looks finished from the outside?"

"Three weeks until we can launch for a shakedown. We constructed an assembly line for sections and are installing them modularly. This is much faster than trying to run everything in place. The biggest issue is the connection points for plasma conduits. The system has advantages though."

"What advantages?" Harry asked.

"We'll have issues with people attempting to board her, either pirates or possibly enemy governments. Also, if we get explosive decompression, it has to be dealt with well or we could lose air for the whole ship. Making the sections modular allows us to install hatches. Any section can be isolated in an emergency and the hatches have a nuetronium coating, though it's only a micron thick. Most starships rely solely on force fields to battle such issues. You must have seen the number of force fields on the Bruce."

"Yes. But they are used for security."

"Originally, they were designed that way to allow decompressions to be isolated. Environmental systems actually make them less than perfectly useful as decompression prevention. Each section on Griffon has its own separate Environmental Control substation and emergency atmosphere tanks."

Harry said with amusement, "That would make it harder to deliver an airborne drug to wake the crew up."

Krim chuckled. "It also makes it harder to poison the entire crew with access to one station on the ship. Thieves and invaders often use that tactic. Also pathogens can decimate a crew for the same reason. You have already said you will likely have me commanding the ship. I'd rather my crew not get knocked out all at once."

"Good point."

Harry let the pilot fly them around much further. Harry had a thought. "Krim?"

"Yes?"

"If you're making the Griffon modular by creating sections and then installing, why didn't you do that with the habitats?"

"The modular unit assembly line was not yet in place."

"Ah."

* * *

"How many weapons? I see several phaser arrays. And how many reactors?"

Krim smirked. "The Griffon has four fusion reactors. The antimatter produced by fusion is sent to the two warp engines where the deuterium is mixed with the anti-deuterium thus provided. Each warp core can produce enough energy to run the entire ship though we actually use the energy from the fusion reactors for impulse engines and most normal functions.

"We have enough power running for the four fusion engines and the two matter/anti-matter engines to power 32 phaser arrays. Add that to eight torpedo launchers: Two forward, two aft, two topside, two keelside. The ship is large enough that we need weapons in many, many directions."

Harry was shocked. "So it's a huge kill vehicle."

Krim said, "Only if necessary. There are also internal phasers built in to attack invaders within the ship. Like the self-destruct sequence, two senior officers are required to initiate that defense because it's too easily misused if the Captain is a tyrant."

Harry said, "You're not a tyrant and neither am I."

"But we might not be the only people who might command this type of ship."

"Good point." Harry saw the bays they were flying toward. "How many vehicles can we hold?"

"We could carry ten Danube-class runabouts plus an array of other shuttles. We can also carry up to 3000 people comfortably and 10,000 in an emergency. We could only last a short time with that many without refueling so as to power the replicators and facilities needed for so many to live. 3000 could, if it was required, live on the Griffon for months."

"And we have 500 on board now? How many to make a full ship's complement?"

"1300 if the ship was to be deployed on a long-term mission away from its base; with family members could raise that to the 3000 number."

"How are the stores?"

"I will show you when we land." The inspection shuttle was entering the massive bay.


	36. Wards and Enchantments

A/N: There will be no more Magicals showing up – my original decision stood as the poll bore out _my_ preference 120 to 116. However, I had planned for a character already that would be helpful to Harry. She appears here. Also, I had to review the earlier chapters as a reviewer pointed out errors in my description of neutronium. That material would be several tons with two cubic centimeters. I've changed the earlier chapters, starting with 16, to reflect a more realistic view. Dobby is even more badass as to help break the block than I originally thought.

* * *

Harry was happily surprised to find Fergus waiting in the bay.

"Sir Harry. Welcome to the Griffon."

Harry walked up and shook his hand. "Fergus O'Brien. How _are_ you doing?"

Fergus smirked. "I'm doing well … and looking forward to seeing Miles and shoving my position as Chief Engineer on the Griffon in his face." Harry chuckled at that.

He turned and spoke. "Your Majesty, King Charles, this is Fergus O'Brien, twin of the Chief Engineer on Deep Space 9, Miles O'Brien."

Charles reached out his hand and shook the Engineer's hand. "Nice to meet you. How has it been working for Sir Harry?"

Fergus said, "Much more interesting since I started working on Griffon."

Krim said, "`Don't let him fool you. Mr. O'Brien has been critically important in the process of building the ship. Much of the reason for why it took months instead of years had to do with his knowledge of Starships and their systems."

Fergus was embarrassed but also proud. "Well, we'd like to see what you've got," Harry said.

"The lift is this way. That can take us to Command and Control." Fergus had a slightly proud tone.

Harry was curious. "Which deck is CNC on?"

"Starfleet traditionally puts it on the top. But I spent my off hours watching the vids which we based the ship off of. The reason for putting it on top is distance from the engines and systems which were the most likely explode catastrophically enough to kill all of the people but not catastrophically enough to destroy the ship."

He got to what, to Harry, looked like an elevator lobby in an old office building. "See the signs?" He motioned toward the two sides, one side with large arrows up and down and the other with large arrows fore and aft. "Griffon is 1.4 kilometers long – walking from fore to aft could take too long. Even though they aren't strictly up and down or forward and backward, transports are divided between a system to move you from section to section and a lift, like Federation starships, to move you around in a section."

They got in the one for section travel. There were others already present. The conveyor was three times as large as a Starship lift and was divided into sections so that many people could grab the hand-holds if needed. "Command Section," he told the panel. As it started Fergus explained, "There are too many people moving around to expect a completely empty lift. With a full crew, we'd have crewman to just be in the control section for shifts between two to six hours. It would make it a little more smooth. But computer control is enough with the numbers we have."

They stopped at Blue Section, and people got off and on. Fergus continued, "Command is Red Section." Once they were on the way he continued explaining. "Command is Red but that has no significance. Secondary Command, if the main CNC is damaged or inoperative, is in Indigo."

Harry asked, "What was the general opinion of the builders about a secondary CNC? I know I asked for it – making the ship too reliant on it being kept safe sounded like tempting fate."

Fergus shrugged. "Some of the larger ships, like Enterprise, can separate between habitat and drive sections. There is a Battle Bridge on the drive section. So it wasn't that strange an idea."

Harry chuckled. "It would have defeated the purpose of building a large ship but it would have been interesting making the Griffon able to separate into portions." Fergus and the others smiled but said nothing. "If these movers connect to all sections, what does that do to the modular idea and being able to secure different portions by using hatches?"

Fergus replied, "We saw that when we had to plan the trams. And because it's a large shaft, it could even be more dangerous. Although we do have hatches, decompression prevention is done with force fields in the shaft, similar to what is at the entrance of the bay."

"What if we lose power?" Harry asked.

Fergus smirked. "Each force field projector has its own backup power supply. The ship would have to be without power for weeks for backup power to run out."

Harry considered that. "What about things which suppress power? I know ships run into things like that. How long to charge the backups?"

Fergus said, "It's two hours but the backup is shielded by plated covers to shield them from external influence. Nuetronium is not a great material to build things from due to weight, but as protective coating? Useful where possible. And the contract with Federation is we keep 20 percent. That didn't change since they brought more neutronium. We might run out of uses for it before we run out of supply."

Harry looked at Krim. "I'll need you to figure out things that could be sold with the coating which doesn't negatively effect Federation or our security."

Krim asked, "Why are you telling me?"

"Security?"

Krim looked less than impressed. "That doesn't make me an expert in such matters. I'd suggest handing it over to the people Fergus affectionately calls the Lads. Their current project is almost finished and they're going to get bored. His Majesty here can have the Federation review possible products to make certain they don't object."

King Charles said, "Or maybe they'll buy the excess. The idea that the Federation doesn't use money is nice, but they have certainly put a lot of credits into your accounts, Sir Harry."

"That's good because I'll have to transfer sufficient credits to the Federation citizens who work for me. Next I'll need to build up my non-Federation capital to pay the Bajorans and other non-Federation employees."

* * *

They arrived at Red Section and Fergus led them off of the mover. "Command is on this level. Command Section indicates the stop on this level. Red Section would have dropped us two sections lower and more forward."

"So we moved up and down as well?" Harry asked.

Krim replied there. "It would be difficult to move solely forward and back or up and down. In order to allow multiple cars, we likely even stopped and moved out of the main path. You never felt it because of the inertial dampeners."

Harry was impressed. As far as he knew, the mover had been direct. It was also quick. "Okay then."

* * *

Fergus led them across the corridor and into CNC. Harry immediately was struck by how it was both similar to and different from a Federation bridge. One item was quite different: There was a platform behind the Captain's chair.

Harry walked over. "What's this?"

Fergus looked at Krim. Krim spoke. "Activate tactical display." The panel lit up.

Harry recognized it. "This is like the Dradis display from the vids."

Krim replied, "Exactly." He accessed a control panel which allowed the display to change the angle and zoom of the display. "Honestly, to see the full use we could access a holodeck."

Harry asked, "How many holodecks are there?"

Fergus said, "24."

Harry replied, "Wow."

Fergus said, "24 isn't extreme; the Enterprise has 16." He pointed to one station. "That is the systems panel. One of the systems is the hologrid." He looked at Krim. "General?"

Krim gave an order, "Computer! Activate Emergency Personnel Holograms!" Suddenly, several people appeared, one for each station. They all sat down at the station. "If there was someone in the chair, no hologram would have activated. They're not programmed with full personalities but in an emergency they can monitor the ship, its systems, and its personnel." Krim called out, "We're at Station keeping."

Harry asked, "What does that mean?"

"If we're docked or if were on a shore leave, the holograms will monitor the systems and report any issues as per procedures as modified from Starfleet standard."

Harry asked, "Why does it have to be different?" with a curious tone.

"Griffon has additional stations. Navigation and Piloting can be one station, but they can be two as well, much as Fergus described the Enterprise. Tactical Display is separate from Weapons Control. Navigational sensors are separated from Science. Engineering has a station for monitoring power and the warp engines. Environmental Controls took the normal monitoring for internal systems, it is now a separate station. Medical has a station. This is not so much for ship's personnel but for large operations, coordinating emergency care for disaster relief and such. The station is not normally manned but can be. Starfleet released an EMH Mark One to our use to coordinate care, but the Command Medical Hologram has to be activated separately."

"How many EMH units does Griffon have?" Harry asked curiously.

"Four: One for central sickbays and one for CNC. The CNC unit can monitor a large operation or handle emergency medical care during an emergency, though the need should be minimal as we have put the Tribble protocols into use."

Harry nodded. "So, the ship automatically activates a holographic cover if there is a surge which would normally cause injury."

Krim replied, "Unlike the original program, the holographic backup activates even if the ship is not at Red Alert. Mr. O'Brien pointed out that such surges often happen when unexpected situations occur. He saw no reason that the protection couldn't be installed for all circumstances."

Harry was impressed. His familiarity with Federation technology was entirely due to hard study and trusting the people who explained things. But it sounded like Fergus, given free reign with an extreme budget, had run away with ideas and modifications.

"How much training do our people need to run the systems?" Harry asked.

Krim replied, "A few weeks more and Griffon can perform a shakedown cruise."

Harry nodded. "How much power does Griffon use compared to, say, a Galaxy-class ship?"

Fergus considered that. "With minimum complement, we're likely using about 1.5 times as much as Enterprise would use under normal operation. Enterprise carries a thousand, we carry half that, but this ship is large. If we were at full complement, we could require up to four times the power in an emergency and about two and a half times under normal operation."

Harry had wandered over to a panel showing the cross sections map. "What is this on Deck 4?"

Fergus looked. "That's the garden."

Harry asked, "How big is it?"

Fergus said, "It's two decks tall, and a hectare in size."

Harry was impressed. "Why so large?"

Fergus replied, "We had enough space to grow some of our own vegetables, as well as trees that require a lot of carbon. We would never be able to grow enough to offset the respiration needs of 500 people, let alone 3000, but it does help. We have botanists to ensure that the garden is healthy and well cared for."

Harry was curious. "Sunlight?"

Fergus replied, "No windows but there are lights to simulate a 25 hour rhythm – that's an average length."

Harry smiled. "I'd like to see it. How about waste processing?"

Krim went to Environmental Control and had the hologram give a report on that aspect. The systems were operational and not taxed at all (it could handle six times as many people).

Harry nodded. He appreciated current technology on environment and hygiene. The ships system almost automatically collected dust and dander and other particulates. The sonic cleaning technology was especially good for personal hygiene; and if he never had to see or use personal tissue again, he would be satisfied.

* * *

Harry finally finished looking at the stations and said, "I'd like to see a bit of the ship. I'll need to install the ward stone to allow for the cloaking wards and I'd also like to coordinate some tests." He glanced at the King, who had been watching quietly. "I also need to increase the number of people on the Bruce. I need an XO – Dawkins will likely mutiny after not too much longer if I force him to keep the position in addition to running Ops. I also need to have two more bridge crews for different watches, more people to take care of crew, and more people to watch over the systems and maintain them. The Bruce can't really stay docked except for when I need it. I'm pretty much living onboard and only visiting DS9. I added a few Vulcans – I have a fully Vulcan medical team now – but I'll need even more."

He sighed. "We've got to look beyond Earth and Bajor and Vulcan to find more people."

Krim considered that. "I am not opposed. But I will need assistance in the hiring process – it's too important that I stay and keep Griffon on schedule and secure."

King Charles spoke from the background. "William had done most of what was needed in dealing with the Earth government and the Federation as far as supplying this project. He has said that most materials needed to finish construction have been scheduled. He can now concentrate more on people."

Harry had turned to give his King his full attention. "Thank you, Majesty. His assistance would be invaluable." Krim nodded as well.

* * *

Harry was in the middle of the garden the next day. He had finished the tour and, after a good night sleep in VIP Quarters on Griffon, he had overseen the retrieval of the charged stone he had sent via Glen Lyon.

Krim, Charles, Lars, and Fergus were watching as Harry, with the help of his elves, buried the stone manually. This was the part which annoyed Harry. He knew if it wasn't already charged, he could have someone else do the burying as it involved no magic.

He stared a moment at the mortar mixture before turning. "I will need to bind this to my blood. But perhaps we could bind it to more people."

Lars asked, "What do you mean?"

Harry huffed. He decided to ask his King. "Majesty. Would it offend you if I asked for a vial of your blood to mix into the mortar as I am mixing my blood into it?"

Charles stared at Harry for a long moment. "Why is this important, Sir Harry?"

Harry replied with some respect, "Blood has a magical component, especially the blood of a wizard. However, I do know that much of magical authority in my home dimension is tied to Royal authority – the Ministry for Magic ultimately answered to the Royal family, despite the fact that they had not interacted with the Magical world after the Acts of Union in the early 1700s. You are a descendant of the same blood. There could be value to it as it interacts with my own blood."

Charles asked, "Are you sure?"

Harry shrugged. "No, Sir. It could have no effect. But it could also have great effect. We may never know."

Charles considered the argument and agreed. A nurse was called to retrieve blood before she was sent off. Harry took that blood and mixed it with his own before it entered the mortar. Krim offered as well and Harry tied him in but didn't mix it into the mortar.

He hoped it had a positive magical effect though he didn't know if it would. Charles was Royal and Krim would command. There could be no effect, a positive effect, or a negative effect. Only time would tell.

The stone would be hidden under a landscape feature. There was a small hill above the location and plants were already being grown. These had been moved and, once Harry finished, they were returned.

Once that had been completed, Harry conferred with Krim, Fergus, and Lars as to the placement of the plates which would contain the rune sequences tied into the ward stone.

The lettering, applied as gold microns and then converted back, caused the plates to increase in weight by several pounds and the lettering was virtually unreadable in that it was so small.

The condensed remains of a neutron star seemed extremely magical for Runic arrays and extremely neutral for everything else.

* * *

Harry and Dobby, with Lars' help, connected a control rod, once again with a few atoms of neutronium, into a ward control in CNC.

Charles asked, "How long until we can test your work?"

Harry answered, "We need to make a map for Griffon to test the Marauder's Map. After that, we'll test the cloaking wards."

Over the next day, Harry worked privately and quickly to create a map for Griffon. Once it was done, he began a second. Harry had to tie it in, but when he was done, Griffon now had a full map.

Deep Space 9 was the map which Harry used as a model as it was larger than the Bruce's. Harry grinned as it came to life and as the drawing changed to reflect the walls being installed in the last sections.

* * *

Harry called everyone to Krim's office off of CNC.

"You look entirely too smug," Krim observed dryly.

Harry smirked. "Yes. Your map is finished." He motioned toward the wall panel Lars had already detailed for Griffon's ready room, one based on his own.

Krim asked, "What is the command?"

"Computer: Display Griffon's Marauder's Map." And just like that the panel lit up and the panel displayed a computerized representation. "Computer: Retract Map Panel." The panel covering the map slid away and the parchment was now visible. He looked at Krim. "This will allow you to remove it if there comes a time it's needed. The security office's copy will also have to be installed. Only command level authorization will allow the panel to be opened: Your voice, my voice, the voice of King Charles or Prince William, and whoever you officially appoint as XO."

Krim deactivated and reactivated the display and tested the system by having it change views, zooming in and out, etc. "Computer: Correlate all names on Marauder's Map to list of authorized personnel."

It took a short time. "Correlation complete. Displayed names verified against Marauder's Map."

Krim's face actually changed to a satisfied smile. "Good. Map display, Off." He turned to the others. "Well, at least I know that I have been successful in keeping the project secure."

Charles said, "Impressive. Did we tell you about the Cardassian we found when we visited the Bruce?"

Krim's face changed. "No. Explain."

Harry sighed. "Relax. He's in hiding because he reported crimes of other Cardassians to the Detapa Council. It gave them the ammunition needed to force the Cardassian Central Command to withdraw from Bajor. He's hiding because the Central Command would like to see him dead. So he got surgery and is hiding on Earth."

Krim peered at Harry. "How are you sure?"

"We used a truth serum called Veritaserum which has never failed," Harry replied placidly.

Krim's eyes widened and he looked at the King, who nodded to verify the report. The Bajoran said, "Well then. I suppose I cannot protest that Cardassian's presence too much."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway. Now we have a map. I want your help to test a few things."

"Such as?" Krim asked.

Harry called out, "Computer. Display Marauder's Map for BSS Bruce." Everyone else's eyes showed surprise while Harry remained calm.

"Authorization required." Harry spoke his security code. "Password required."

Harry smirked. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Suddenly the display activated and the BSS Bruce was displayed. He manipulated the display as Krim had done. Finally he said, "Computer: Mischief Managed." The display shut down.

He looked at the others. "I'm going to add some runes to Deep Space 9. Once that's done, I'll want to see if the display can show it from so far away."

Everyone stilled. Finally Lars said, "That would be … unbelievable."

"I know," Harry said with some solemnity. "We're going to have to visit Starfleet Headquarters and probably make a map for them. I'd rather everyone keep this a secret. But there might be a time it could be useful or valuable. First, I need to find out if it's possible. That plus testing the enchanted mirrors."

Charles asked, "Enchanted mirrors?"

Harry nodded. "My father and my godfather were best friends in school. They were also pranksters and often had detention. They created or acquired linked mirrors so that they could call and chat when serving separate detentions. They're just like video calls. I've been wanting to test how far away they'll work from each other. But I didn't have a viable option for the other side. With Griffon, we can give it a shot."

Charles said mildly, "You could have tested it with me or my son."

"I know," Harry said, "but I specifically wanted to test it between ships. Griffon will be able to test it with me once she launches." He considered it. "I suppose I can also try between the Bruce and the palace."

* * *

He spent two days reviewing the Marauder's notes on the linked mirrors and then enchanting them. Harry was surprised to find that the mirrors were _not_ made by the Marauders. However, the pair had been bought by James Potter to decrypt the enchantments during their research to create the Marauders' Map.

The most difficult part of enchanting them was linking the protean charm required. In this case, the only Runic arrays were charging runes powering a Potean charm.

Harry had failed twice before he got his Protean charm working. It had been something Hermione had done but he had never needed to be able to cast it. Part of his failure was overcoming the negative connotations associated with the charm due to its use in the Dark Mark.

* * *

After five days at Elizabeth Yard, they were ready for the final test. Harry was on the Bruce's bridge. "Open a channel to Griffon."

Harry's new communication officer pushed a few buttons and then the somewhat exotic looking woman said, "Main Screen, Captain."

"Thank you, Neema." Neema Emem was a younger woman of African extraction who had studied communications because the woman on Kirk's Enterprise who was in charge of Communications was a personal hero of hers when she was a young girl.

Harry looked at the screen. "Captain Krim. Are we ready?"

"Yes we are, Sir Harry."

"Good. Now that everyone is ready and no one in the Yard will freak out," he said with humor, "let's test your wards."

Krim nodded. "Mr. Radcliffe, activate cloaking wards."

"Activating wards, Aye."

Harry called out, "What do we have, Bill?"

Bill Dawkins, at his station, read his panel. "Sensors do not track Griffon."

Harry looked at Krim. "You hear that?"

"Yes, I did." He called out, "Radcliffe, verify sensor readings."

The young man, a British man, was off screen but Harry heard his report. "Sensor relays report Griffon is no longer found."

There was applause all around. Krim said, "Excellent. Deactivate cloaking wards."

Radcliffe called out, "Wards deactivated."

Bill called out, "Sensors are now tracking Griffon."

Radcliffe echoed, "Sensor relays verify."

Harry grinned and looked over at his guest. "Well, Sire? What do you think?"

Charles said with a pleasant voice, "I am officially impressed. Well done."

"Thank you, Sir." He looked at Krim. "I'll be contacting you when we have a flight plan. We'll need to test the mirrors during the beginning and find out if and when they stop working. I'll drop King Charles off after we visit Starfleet Headquarters. That will likely take a couple of days."

Krim replied, "I'll be waiting. Good luck. And tell Prince William I need more people – someone has taken almost ten percent of my crew."

Harry chuckled. "I'll let him know. Bruce Out."

Krim was referring to the personnel that Harry had gotten from the Griffon. When given an option, several had been willing to transfer over with an understanding that their employer would be the same, just on a different ship.

The ship now had a crew of sixty four. This included engineers, bridge crew, maintenance, and people to take care of the crew. One extra had been brought over, but she was special.

After he had sent the King off for tea served by his elves, Harry made a decision. "Mr. Dawkins. You have the conn. Take us out of Beth's Place and set a course for Starbase 1. We'll need to coordinate our visit. I'll be in my ready room talking to my new researcher. Let me know when I need to get involved."

"Aye, Captain."

* * *

Harry stood up and exited to his ready room, leaving Dawkins to take over. He entered to find that his new research assistant was engrossed in the computer accessing the magical library. "Any problems, Selene?"

The beautiful blonde woman looked up from her study and with a calm voice replied, "Everything is fine, Sir Harry. I believe I will have completed reviewing the initial lessons within two days. I will then be able to begin assisting you with calculations."

"Good." Harry nodded. "Would you like tea?"

Selene considered that for a long moment. "Yes. I do believe I would."

Harry smiled. "Winky." He called. Dobby was serving King Charles. The elf popped in. "Please bring tea for myself and Ms. Lovegwood."

"Yes, Master Harry."

Harry sat down at his desk and, once tea had been served, he contemplated the woman who had been sent to him by the Lads.

Selene Lovegwood was a Theoretical Mathematician who seemed to be a bit "detached" to people around her. However, she was also a friendly and calm personality.

Harry had been astounded to find that her ancestors had been named Lovegood but that had changed to Lovegwood (another British surname) approximately two centuries earlier. He was also bemused by Selene's superficial similarities to his old friend.

She was not Luna but she was similar enough that it was hard to be anything other than nice to her. He had no desire to order her around.

She had been hired to help calculate the warp field interactions between the two drives on Griffon. She had somehow come up with the math that would allow both drives to work together to create a larger warp bubble with a minimum of trouble.

After this, she had been grabbed by the Royal Engineers to solve several issues that had come from the plans for Griffon. Miss Lovegwood also worked out the exact requirements for the neutronium coatings to minimize the amount of material and maximize the safety factor.

Selene, once the major troubles with Griffon were worked out, had calmly told the engineers that she would be leaving as soon as their employer came as she would he assisting him with his projects directly. They hadn't been able to say much as she had finished everything they had needed her to do.

Harry had immediately taken to her.

Harry had, at Lars suggestion and once he had verified her signature on the employment contracts, given her access to the magical library and she was going to study Runes and Arithmency to help devise Runic arrays and to check their math afterwards.

Arithmancy was similar to the Theoretical Mathematics she already knew and she had immediately agreed that it would be useful. She also mused that it would help her check her warp field calculations.

Currently, there were no additional stations to access the magical database outside of his ready room and his quarters and Harry was not about to put a new female hire into his quarters – it would not have looked good.

Her new access would be set up after they started back to Deep Space 9.

Harry just knew that Selene Lovegwood would make all the difference in his plans.


	37. Gambits and Confrontations

The BSS Bruce was at Warp 3 leaving the Sol system.

It had taken three days plus excessive red tape to install the wardstone and components which allowed Harry to create a Marauder's Map for Starfleet Headquarters. Starfleet Security had then created a bunker deep down to monitor and to verify recorded identities against the shown identities.

King Charles had successfully argued that anyone found by the Map to be presenting a false identity or race had the right to a hearing before two neutral Starfleet officers and a member of Starfleet security. That didn't mean they wouldn't be arrested – it only meant that a sufficient justification could be accepted. The King's experience with someone who was effectively under witness protection (an old Earth concept) had made him argue the point.

He had ordered Harry not to create a Map until the Federation Council agreed to the stipulation. He had also ensured that Harry had received sufficient recompense.

While having enough Federation credits on hand was useful, Charles and Harry had discussed his need for hard currency. Foreign currency used across Federation space used in lieu of Federation credits were more useful to exchange with foreign powers for various things.

Sir Harry Potter had already received enough credits to cover his needs for several years from the neutronium contract. The Federation was willing to work with Harry (with Charles and William representing his interests). Already a Starfleet vessel survived what would normally have been a catastrophic failure because of the parts coated with the ultra-dense material.

Harry and Charles had also discussed the need to figure out how to release Harry from his oath. He had no resentment at Charles having so much control but he didn't like submitting and Charles really didn't like having such authority over anyone. It was low priority because neither the King nor the Prince were the type to abuse their power. It couldn't be ignored, however, because Harry would likely live beyond both.

As Harry was musing over current matters and recent history, a chime sounded. Harry knew what that meant. He stood up and returned to the bridge. His research assistant paid him no attention.

Dawkins moved to the XO chair allowing him to sit down. "Ms. Emem. How long until our scheduled communication check from Griffon?"

The woman was ready. "We are less than 2 minutes from 13:00 Bajoran standard."

Harry sighed. "Okay." He glanced around. "Dawkins. Have we run into any problems? How are things running?"

Dawkins said with humor, "Things are running well. Nothing for you to be concerned about, Captain."

Harry nodded. "Waiting is annoying. We completed our objectives at Sol, we got Griffon up and running, I've received all status reports, and we can't do the next set of tests until we reach Bajor."

Neema sounded, "30 seconds."

Harry straightened. "We're waiting for their call this time, right?"

"Yes, Captain."

A few seconds later Neema reported, "Call coming in on the Mirror relay."

"Answer it and put it on screen."

The forward screen was met with a slightly hazy image of Griffon's CNC. "Hello, Aldos." That was a concession Krim had finally granted before Bruce warped out: The use of his personal name. "I see we still have less than perfect imagery on this."

Krim chuckled. "It's not as if we're using subspace. We're using technology to activate and interface with magic. The fact that it is working when you are several light years away and at warp is what we should be concentrating on."

Harry grinned. "Sensors still can't detect the use of the relay?"

"None here at Beth's Place," Krim verified. "And I was successful in contacting you, which means the crystal key mechanism Lars devised works." It had taken some thought as to how to get rid of the need of physically holding it to activate. An enchanted diamond used as a focus had been the solution.

The mirror could still be retrieved, carried, and used without a ship, but the mechanical/magical hybrid system made it useful via screens.

Harry asked, "And how about the connection to Earth?"

Krim sighed. "King Charles still cannot contact me or answer unless he is within the wards of the Palace. It seems that the mirrors cannot contact through deep space unless both sides are within wards."

Harry considered that. "We need to test if I could use the mirror outside of the wards. They are enchanted to be used by magical people."

Krim nodded. "When you are at Bajor, visit the surface with the mirror and attempt to call from there – as long as the mirrors can connect when both are within wards."

Harry nodded. "Agreed. I'll also have to test it from Deep Space 9. I installed wards to make a Map possible. We'll see if that's enough."

"Will you make another mechanism for the station?"

Harry considered it. "No. We're already Goldberging this enough. I'll just carry the mirror on the station."

Krim asked curiously, "Harry? What is Goldberging?"

Harry realized he had used an Old Earth reference. "Sorry. Rube Goldberg was someone who used to make complicated machines to do simple things." He looked around. "Anyone ever hear of Rube Goldberg?"

No one on the bridge had. "Look it up in the Earth database later. Anyway. We've verified it. As soon as we're off, I'll activate cloaking wards and increase speed. We'll call you at 19:30 Bajoran Standard."

Krim replied, "We'll be waiting. Griffon, Out."

Dawkins had already moved to the ward activation mechanism. Harry looked over and nodded. Dawkins activated the wards and then checked. "Sensor relays no longer track BSS Bruce."

"Martinez, increase speed to Warp 7.25."

"Warp 7.25, Aye."

Stolel then spoke up. "Captain Potter. Considering your lack of activities, might I suggest another practicum for your personal training?"

Harry sighed. He had gotten away from Stolel's training schedule during their Griffon visit, but now he was back onto him. "That sounds great." He stood up. "Dawkins, you have the conn. Call me if there's an emergency."

"Aye, Captain."

Stolel and Harry left. The bridge crew were slightly amused as their Captain tended to complain quietly about how harsh Stolel tended to be as a training officer.

As they walked Stolel said, "I do have something to inform you of."

"Go ahead."

"According to the Hogwarts timeline cultural database, Rueben Goldberg was an artist and engineer. He drew humorous depictions of fictional characters employing complicated machines. This was done for either satire or amusement. There is no record that he actually built them. Also …"

Harry sighed internally as he listened; he should have guessed that Vulcans had no sense of artistic license.

* * *

Commander Sisko was at his desk when Major Kira returned from Bajor. He was reviewing reports when the door chimed. "Open!" he called out.

Looking up he saw he XO's expression. "I take it it's not good news."

Major Kira gave a minute shrug. "I suppose that's a matter of opinion. The new Kai has been chosen. The Assembly chose Winn."

Sisko stilled. What he really wanted to do was curse, but that would have been less than becoming. Finally he said, "I will have to send congratulations and my best wishes for her success."

Major Kira saw that she and the Commander were on the same page. "I'm certain she would appreciate the good wishes of the Emissary."

Sisko sighed at that. "Anything else?"

Major Kira replied, "I just got back and haven't checked. But Lt. Dax said something about receiving Sir Harry's itinerary. He's on his way back."

Sisko nodded. "Our resident Wizard has changed into the wandering Wizard." He paused and then asked his XO, "What is your opinion of Sir Harry Potter of Earth?"

Major Kira paused as she considered that. "He's a good man but he ends up being a little out of place. He seems to involve himself with anything that strikes his interest and is perfectly willing to lend his resources out to help people. But he seems …." Kira stopped there. "He seems to fit Bajor more than the Federation."

Sisko was curious. "What do you mean?"

"He's rough around the edges. And though he tries to fit into a peaceful environment, I think he prefers the black and white of an 'us vs. them' mentality." Major Kira tried to put her thoughts into words. Finally she said, "I find it easier just to put him into his own category and see what happens."

Sisko nodded. "I think it's interesting that he has gone his own way and yet he seems to always come back to Deep Space 9 … and the wormhole."

Major Kira asked, "How often does he travel through the wormhole?"

Sisko thought back. "Not often … one time that I remember. He helped retrieve a daughter left behind. I can't remember another time he's gone through."

Major Kira replied, "He used to visit Bajor more but after the Botanical institute lost the seed bank, he only rarely visits the Paqu to help them with butterbeer production."

Sisko considered that. "So other than visiting Earth with a single stop at Vulcan, Trill once, and Bajor on occasion, he's either on Deep Space 9 or on his ship." Sisko nodded to himself. "Well, he likes to make himself useful, and he's proved himself a friend to the station and to Bajor. Something about him make me wary."

Kira asked with humor. "Wary as in you worry he'll become a threat?" She was skeptical that the Human time traveler would become a threat; the idea was funny to her.

"No. Wary as in I worry he's going to draw far too much attention. I think, somehow, things are going to become more chaotic."

Suddenly, an alarm sounded. Major Kira and Commander Sisko looked at each other and then Sisko called out, "Computer. Activate Map Panel."

The panel lit up and Sisko and Kira moved to the wall sections. "Display source of alert."

The panel zooms in on a Cardassian visitor. "Creex Rolli" was the name on the map. The computer stated, "Visual identification does not match displayed identity. Individual visually registers as Human."

Odo had pointed out that Cardassians did stop at the station. Targeting them could be considered a violation. Odo and Sisko had worked out a system where visitors who did not register (personnel and those who registered for rooms) were correlated by the computer against what could be seen.

If someone registered as a Vulcan and appeared to be Andorian, the same alert would have sounded. In this case, the person registered as Human visually and Cardassian according to the Map. Thus an alert was created.

Sisko tapped his badge. "Sisko to Odo."

"This is Odo."

"Are you in your office?"

"No. I am on my way in response to the alert."

"Are you private?"

After a moment Odo answered, "Yes."

"We have a person who appears Human but registers as Cardassian. They are almost to the promenade."

"Do you want me to check it out?"

"Stand by." He called out, "Computer. Call up visual identity for individual Marauders' Map identifies as Creex Rolli."

Major Kira, who had been watching, commented when the image appeared. "Doesn't look Cardassian to me."

"Computer. Check image against available records, starting with registered visitors in the last six months."

It took the computer about six minutes, which meant that the number of records it had scanned was enormous. The record came up. Sisko peered as the picture and the record. "They match. And according to this, his name is Raymond Boone. Computer: Display record for Raymond Boone."

Major Kira looked over the record. "It says here that he was in Starfleet. He left …" she checked the information, "… in 2362, after he had been rescued from his capture and detention during the Cardassian war."

Sisko nodded. "He served on the Rutledge. Computer. Correlate service record of Raymond Boone and Miles O'Brien. Did they serve on the Rutledge together?"

"Affirmative."

Sisko tapped his badge. "Sisko to O'Brien."

"I'm here Commander."

"Report to my office, immediately."

"On my way, Sir."

Odo was also called.

* * *

It took three hours and ate up much of their time, but it was determined that Raymond Boone had likely been replaced eight years earlier. Miles O'Brien was horrified because that meant that he had served with an infiltrator.

Only his loyalty to Sisko allowed him to meet "Boone" and lull him into complacency to allow Odo to arrest him.

After interrogation, Rolli admitted that he was Cardassian. Sisko called Headquarters and Starfleet security was going to retrieve him from Deep Space 9.

Chief O'Brien visited Commander Sisko. "I guess I'll need to testify to Starfleet Security as to what I know. When will they arrive?"

Sisko replied, "I'm waiting for word back."

Chief O'Brien nodded. "I guess I'll have to tell Keiko that something's come up. I know she was looking forward to our vacation, but this is important and I'll explain that we'll have to postpone."

Sisko's face took on a tight grin. "I've already verified that your original statement is sufficient. There is no reason for your vacation to be postponed. Keiko was glad to hear that."

Miles felt his gut churn but he half asked/half stated, "You already spoke to her."

"Oh, yes. Your wife was _very_ concerned when she came to me and I _assured_ her that you would be able to have your _full_ scheduled leave. She was _very_ excited to hear that."

"That's great, Commander. Thank you." Miles loved his wife but not working was not something he enjoyed. He resigned himself to the fact he wouldn't be able to get out of it.

Maybe he could bring a few manuals.

Sisko's grin widened. "Well, Chief? You may return to duty. Remember: Your leave starts in four days and there _are_ things to finish."

"Yes, Sir." He left.

* * *

Harry was in the Captain's chair as the Bruce entered the Bajoran system. "Bill, drop the wards."

"Dropping wards, Aye." Bill changed the rods over. He checked the readings. "Sensor relays now registering the Bruce."

"Martinez, Drop to half impulse."

"Half impulse, Aye."

"Neema, Open a channel."

After a moment she called out, "Deep Space 9 is responding."

"On screen."

Kira Nerys's face appeared. "Sir Harry. Welcome back to Deep Space 9."

"Thank you. Do you have room for an overnight docking?"

"Yes, we do. Docking pylon 5 is completely free. How long will you be in the system?"

"Currently the plan is through tomorrow. I have additional crew and I want them all familiar with the station. I've given everyone shore leave."

She smiled. "We always appreciate visitors."

"Well, we'll be there in ten minutes."

"We look forward to seeing you."

"Bruce, Out."

Harry looked around. "Okay. Mr. Dawkins, you can run the docking and oversee securing the ship."

"Aye, Captain."

Harry went to his ready room and sat down at his desk. Selene had finally been given access to the Magical library database in a work office of her own. It had computers, holo-emitters, and other things she would be using to do her work.

* * *

39 hours after docking, the BSS Bruce was setting off from Deep Space 9. The Bruce was heading to the Badlands. Harry had found that the Mirror Relay was still viable on the station. It seemed that the presence of wards allowed enough ambient magic to work.

Selene had heard of the plasma fields and wanted to test if such an environment could negatively effect the linked mirrors or the wards.

The Bruce's shields would be in use as well for really the first time.

Seeing that they were free of the station, Harry gave the command. "Set course to the Badlands, Warp 5."

"Warp 5, Aye."

"Estimated Time to plasma fields?" he asked Dawkins

Dawkins punched up a few numbers. "If we maintain Warp 5, we'll be there in two hours."

"Warp 6?"

"1.33 hours. I recommend maintaining Warp 5 unless cloaked."

Harry sighed. "Good point. Steady as she goes, people."

Harry had discussed the Warp 5 limitations with representatives from Starfleet. They had agreed that it was likely that the Bruce had, in fact, countered the reasons for limiting warp speed. However, until massive testing was completed, they couldn't be certain.

They had requested that the Bruce maintain the limits when traveling visibility so as to support the Federation position. Harry had reluctantly agreed after they had conceded that he didn't need to limit his speed under his cloaking wards. If Harry decided it was an emergency, all limits were off.

There was some small value to having diplomatic status.

* * *

Harry called Griffon to make certain he could just outside of the plasma fields.

"Okay. Deactivate active wards. Activate shields. Set a course into the Badlands, half impulse."

Dawkins called out, "Wards down, shields active, Aye." The mapping wards were passive and not set to cut out. That would require either three anchors or the wardstone being destroyed. And if weapons got that deep into the ship, it would be pointless to worry about the map.

Martinez called out, "Course set, half impulse, Aye."

"Engage."

They traveled an hour into the Badlands. Martinez had to adjust course several times due to the plasma fields. But the ship finally was fully immersed into the area. "All stop."

Martinez cut the ship's forward motion and then called out, "All stop, Aye."

"Neema. Activate Mirror Relay."

The woman completed the connection. "Mirror Relay activated."

"On screen."

"Sir Harry. You are right on time."

Harry sighed internally. Krim still had a hard time being casual. "Yes. We've done all we could to get out of a direct line of sight out of the Badlands."

"Excellent. I will inform the King; he's waiting for word."

"Thank you. How's Griffon."

Krim chuckled. "We're still a week from launching. As you know. And how is my Senior Coordinator?"

Harry sighed audibly. "Ms. Emem is fine." He glanced over. "I really like having someone on just communications. I'd rather keep here."

Krim said, "But we agreed that a ship the size of the Bruce doesn't need a dedicated person on communications. Only a ship such as Griffon requires it."

Harry nodded. "I know. I just really like her." He was pouting - kind of.

Neema Emem was blushing as she listened to the two men argue over her services. She had agreed to come on the Bruce to get experience before her duty on Griffon began. She liked it, but it was rather boring outside of the testing. Starships had long ago stopped needing a dedicated Communications Officer outside of deep space missions. Only active starbases needed them. Neema had been ecstatic to find work on an actual ship.

"Well, take comfort that she will still work for you, just through me."

Harry grinned, shedding his lugubrious tone. "I'll try. So. We can call this test a success."

Krim agreed. "We have just one more test. Outside of trying from Bajor."

"Right. Through the Wormhole."

Krim asked, "Should you test it from within the wormhole?"

"No. The Prophets may ignore technology but I won't take a chance with magic unless it's an emergency. Annoying powerful beings is not something I want to test."

Krim replied, "You may have a point. How long until you make the attempt?"

"I will be going to Bajor to test it from the surface. I suppose I can see if anyone needs travel to New Bajor. I'd like to see the place."

Krim agreed. "I didn't have the chance to see it either; that is something I should do when I arrive."

Harry laughed briefly. "I so look forward to seeing Griffon travel the wormhole."

Krim smirked. "It will be fun."

"Well. Now I've got to fly this ship out of this place. I'll be contacting you in 26 hours."

"Tomorrow then."

"Bruce, Out." The screen shut off. "Activate non-cloaking wards. Set course out of the Badlands. Half Impulse."

* * *

Soon the Bruce was retracing her course. The tone on the bridge lightened when Dawkins reported they had gotten out.

"Excellent! Set course for Deep Space 9, Warp …"

Dawkins interrupted. "Captain. We have a ship approaching on sensors. They were hidden before due to the plasma fields."

Harry became more serious. "Identify."

Dawkins read his instruments. "Sensors identify a Cardassian Galor-class warship."

Neema called out, "They're hailing!"

"On screen." The image of a Cardassian came up. "This is Sir Harry Potter of the BSS Bruce."

The man looked at Harry with a superior look. "I am Gul Evek of the Vetar, Cardassian Fourth Order. Please shut down your engines and prepare for inspection."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Activate shields."

Dawkins called back, "Shields, Aye."

"That is a negative, Gul Evek. This is a Diplomatic Vessel, engaged in activities in support of those individuals with diplomatic status and credentials. You have no authority to inspect my ship."

"And the name of the individual with diplomatic status?" Evek asked.

Harry almost rolled his eyes. "Dawkins, yellow alert. Gul Evek. Considering you met me during the incident regarding the explosion of the Bok'nor, I would hope that your memory is not so poor to forget that I am the individual with diplomatic status."

Evek replied, "I have not seen your credentials. But even if that is true, your vessel is traveling into areas containing saboteurs and terrorists. In the interest of good relations, I request permission to ensure you are not providing aid and comfort to them."

Harry's dander was up. "In all civilized societies, recognized diplomatic status means that an individual holding such status can operate free of coercion and restraint. My answer is no. Full power to phasers. This includes his possessions, modes of conveyance, and those traveling in his party. That includes my whole ship. We are not in Cardassian space. I officially refuse your authority. Good day. Bruce, Out." The screen cut off. "Send a subspace signal to Deep Space 9."

Neema tried. "The Vetar is jamming all transmissions."

"Set course away from this area, full impulse."

Martinez activated engines and Dawkins called out, "Vetar has fired a warning shot."

"Red alert. Neema, Activate Mirror Relay."

Even as Krim's image appeared, the Bruce was rocked. "Direct hit to rear shields; shields at 88 percent."

"Fire phasers, full power. Target weapons and engines."

"Phasers, Aye," Stolel called calmly.

Even as their phasers hit, Krim said, "Who is attacking?"

"Galor-class Vetar, Gul Evek commanding, he was demanding to inspect, ignoring my diplomatic status. Activate cloaking ward!"

"Cloaking ward, Aye!"

"New course, 040 mark 170."

"040 Mark 170, Aye."

Dawkins called out, "Vetar has fired again but no longer is tracking us."

"Stand down phasers. Once we are far enough out to be safe, increase speed to Warp 6."

"Warp 6, Aye."

Krim was still on the screen. "You got away."

"Yes. I could fire from where I am, but that would make me a combatant rather than a diplomat. Alert King Charles. I'll report through Commander Sisko."

"Understood. Griffon, Out."

"Status?"

"No injuries. Minimal damage, crew is responding. We are twenty seconds from warp."

"Good."

Martinez's console beeped and suddenly the screen showed they had gone to warp. "We are at warp, Captain."

"Good." Harry sighed. "Bill. Package all readings and give it over to Neema to add the entire exchange. Neema. As soon as we're out from the jamming, send it off to Deep Space 9."

"Yes, Captain," was echoed out.

Harry hit his panel to send his voice to the entire ship. "All hands. We were accosted upon exiting the Badlands by a Cardassian Gul. Despite being informed of our diplomatic status, an attempt was made to detain us. I apologize if there was little warning. But we managed to escape with no significant damage. We are returning to Deep Space 9 to ensure that the Cardassians are spanked, and then we will continue on our testing." He hit the button and the PA system turned off.

* * *

Gul Evek demanded, "Where are they?"

The man at sensors replied, "We are no longer able to track the ship. Their position is unknown."

He let out a curse. Their gambit to send in one of their moles had failed. This was Evek's second attempt to obtain leverage, as demanded by Central Command.

The Maquis were proving to be a true annoyance and every effort needed to be made to force the Federation to get more involved.

In addition to that frustration, Gul Evek was feeling resentment. The fool who owned the Federation ship had made him look foolish. Payback needed to be executed.


	38. Diplmatic Forays

BSS Bruce arrived back to Bajoran space. "Okay, Bill. Drop wards."

"Dropping wards, Aye." After a moment Dawkins added, "Sensor relays now register the Bruce."

"Neema. Open a channel to Deep Space 9."

It took only a few moments. "Channel open."

"On screen."

Instead of Kira or Dax, Sisko was present. "Sir Harry. Welcome back. I received your report."

"Good. You reviewed the recordings?"

"Yes. It was a clear violation of Diplomatic protocols. As far as their authority to operate in that area, that is debatable. What is termed the Badlands is neutral enough that it's not worth debating as to whether the Cardassian Empire can search there for Maquis members evading capture."

Harry ignored that. "I have the record of the Cardassian Empire acceptance of my protests as regards both Cardassian and Federation citizens illegally kidnapping individuals within Bajoran space during the initial incident involving the Maquis."

Sisko blinked. "I don't see how that is immediately relevant."

Harry had a grim smile. "Their acknowledgement of my protest involved my Diplomatic credentials – the only reason they acknowledged my protests was because they accepted I had status enough to _deliver_ such protests. Not acknowledging it would have left the Federation, and you, room to ignore the status of visiting Cardassians dignitaries. However, because of this the Cardassian Empire cannot now argue that they hadn't been aware of my status."

Sisko understood. "And Evek was involved in that affair, so his protest that he hadn't personally seen your credentials is irrelevant."

"Exactly."

Sisko was much calmer about the situation. Sir Harry might not be trained, but he did show some intelligence regarding such matters. "May I ask what you were doing in the Badlands? It is just my personal curiosity."

"I was testing a magical communications system." Harry wasn't planning on using his mirrors for espionage and so he wasn't upset about their existence being reported. "I enchanted two-way mirrors which can talk to each other when activated, similar to a video call. I was testing if they worked even if my ship was surrounded by extreme environments. They do."

"Where is the other mirror?" Sisko asked.

"Back in the Sol system," Harry replied casually.

Sisko blinked again. "You can open magical communications between here and Earth without using energy?"

Harry chuckled. "Noooo. It uses _Magical_ energy. In fact it only works because of my enchantments in making a Marauders' Map on my ship. Without that magical field, they would fail."

"So your mirrors work on DS9?"

"Yes."

"I'd like to see that."

Harry considered that. "Sure. Krim told me that King Charles will be waiting for my call once I arrived back to the station. I'll make my call from your office." He grinned. "I'll even let you initiate the call."

* * *

Soon, the Bruce was docked and Harry, with Stolel following and acting as a bodyguard, traveled to Sisko's office. Sisko stood up as they walked in. "Hello. Who is this?" Sisko asked.

"Stolel. He was brought on at Vulcan. He's a trained Tactical Officer. Krim Aldos approved him as Security Chief for the Bruce and, therefore, head of whatever diplomatic security detail I might require. I would have left him back, but this is all diplomatic and so I should probably have all of the niceties covered."

"It's good to meet you, Stolel."

"Thank you, Commander Sisko," the Vulcan replied with equanimity.

"So. A call to King Charles."

Harry nodded and pulled out the mirror. It was about 7 inches tall and four inches wide. Harry had chosen mirrors that were close to the size of a small handheld pad screen. "The stylus has a small enchanted diamond. Just tap the mirror and say 'Buckingham Palace' – King Charles' mirror will vibrate and he can activate it on his end."

Sisko accepted the mirror and pulled the small stylus. With Harry standing right next to him, he tapped the mirror and gave the phrase. King Charles' face appeared and he was standing next to the Earth representative to the Federation Council.

"Sir Harry. I see you've included the local Starfleet representative. Good. Commander Sisko. It's good to see you again. I assume you know of the Earth representative to the Federation Council, Mr. Wolfgang Jackson."

Sisko replied, "I do, Your Majesty. Greetings, Representative Jackson."

"Greetings to you, Commander Sisko," the man said. "It's hard to believe I'm standing in Starfleet Headquarters and talking to someone via a mirror tens of light years away. But that's neither here nor there at the moment. Sir Harry Potter: Greetings to you as well. According to Starfleet Security, your Map has already proven useful. You have the thanks of the entire Council. We may want to negotiate a similar item at Federation headquarters as well as at United Earth Congressional Hall. However, that is also a matter for another time. For now, we need to deal with the matter at hand."

A formal protest was filed with the Cardassian Empire as regards the actions of Gul Evek. It took three days for a reply to come. That included a recording of Gul Evek giving a formal apology and word that he had been demoted.

Harry was asked if that was enough and Ben Sisko had to convince Harry not to ask for the man's head. Harry's final response was, "Apology accepted. However, if any ship registered as BSS, for Britannic Star Ship, or myself is accosted when we are not actually attacking anyone, I reserve the right to deal with those accosting me and mine as I see fit."

Sisko asked, "Isn't the BSS Bruce the only ship registered to you?"

Harry smirked. "For … the … moment." He knew that ten days later the Griffon would make its appearance at Deep Space 9.

Sisko considered that. "Legally, only the ship carrying your person and registered as yours has diplomatic status. If a Federation ship carrying you was captured by a foreign power, only you and your entourage could demand being treated as diplomatic representatives."

Harry said, "I understand. The warning remains the same though. Anything registered as BSS is owned by myself or my King. Even if it is not, itself, a diplomatic carrier, it would be mine to defend and I will do what's necessary."

Sisko agreed and, being sent a copy of Harry's response, he passed it on to the Federation Council.

* * *

Harry was making plans for his visit to New Bajor when another message came in. Sisko contacted him immediately. "Sir Harry."

"Commander Sisko."

"A message has just arrived that involves you."

"Oh?"

"A diplomatic attaché from the Romulan Empire will arrive in seven to ten days in order to speak to you as regards the Treaty of Algeron."

Harry considered that. "Okay. I'll postpone my trip to New Bajor until after that. I'd rather not be on the other side of the galaxy and have them waiting around. Thank you for telling me."

"I suppose we'll be seeing you a bit."

"Yes. I'll check in regularly. Bruce, Out." The screen turned off.

Harry considered his plans. "Neema."

"Yes, Captain?" the young woman replied,

"Activate Mirror Relay to Griffon."

"Yes, Captain."

Very soon Krim was on the screen. "Is there something you need, Sir Harry?" Krim's tone was his pleasant and diplomatic one.

Harry looked at Krim. "What's stopping you from launching now?" Harry's tone was more serious.

Krim's face became more intense. "There are several sections which need the final connections and testing for environmental controls. That is most easily done before launch though some can be done underway. There are some final adjustments that are being made to the warp engines. We will need to test them but that could partially be done on the shakedown cruise." He paused. "Why do you ask?"

Harry huffed. "I am receiving a Romulan representative soon as regards the matter of cloaking and why my ships don't violate the Treaty of Algeron. They'll be here soon, less than a week, and it could take up to two weeks for you to get here. But I'd like to get you launched soonest."

Krim considered that. "I will contact Prince William and inform him that I am launching in 24 hours, thus allowing the facilities to be turned over to Starfleet soon thereafter. The contract with the Federation personnel will lapse as soon as our existence becomes known – you have to be prepared for that. Our first contract to help launch a colony is due to begin in six weeks. How long do you want Griffon flying around and being menacing?"

Harry smirked. "A week or ten days should be enough. The matter with the Romulans may resolve more quickly. If that occurs than I may launch to New Bajor before you arrive. But you can stay around cloaked until I return. But we can do the tests while you're on your way."

"Very well. What are your orders, Sir Harry?" Krim asked formally.

"Captain Krim Aldos of BSS Griffon, you are directed to launch the BSS Griffon as quickly as possible while maintaining crew safety and make your way to Bajoran space whereupon you can consult with myself as regards your status and planned operations."

"Understood, Commodore Harry Potter."

Harry chuckled. "We'll see you soon. Bruce, Out." Harry had objected to Krim saying that he would be an Admiral. Commodore was a rank that had been used by the British and was used to denote the lowest Flag rank. Often Captains given command of a group of ships were given the rank and that was why Harry had allowed it to be used.

Harry considered what he could do while waiting.

* * *

For the next several days, Harry flew the Bruce between Bajor and colony worlds to help deliver supplies and people. To maintain the economic balance of the Bajoran society, he had his crew accept small fees as offered. These he passed on to the crew for use at Deep Space 9 facilities.

In addition, Harry had given Stolel permission to schedule and direct drills for ship preparedness. Harry's abilities as a starship Captain increase rapidly. In addition, the Bruce's ability to defend itself was verified. All weapons were tested and practiced. Harry got to explode a few asteroids with photon torpedoes – something he had never done before.

Two days before the Romulans were scheduled to arrive, Harry parked the ship at Deep Space Nine and the crew was allowed to visit the station.

Selene Lovegwood came to see her boss after they had docked. "Sir Harry."

"Hello, Selene. How are your studies?"

"They have been going well. I would like to test a new system when possible." Her tone was calm and mildly interested.

"What kind of system?" He asked.

"I would like to see if a Runically created Gemino charm can create additional torpedoes."

Harry's eyes widened. "Do you think it will work?" he asked.

"I don't' know."

"Why?"

"Because you haven't attempted to duplicate antimatter. If that can be duplicated my calculations say it should work."

Harry hadn't even considered that. "How likely is it that it will work?"

Selene said, "I don't know. Gemino creates poorer copies which do not last, their quality determined by the amount of magic used. But how anti-particles might react is something that hasn't been tested."

Harry considered that. "Well, we'll be testing that far away from anyone else and as far as possible from ourselves as well."

Selene nodded. "That's probably best. When can we test it?"

Harry replied, "I have a meeting here in two days. After that, we can make a testing schedule. You should start making the runic arrays."

Selene grinned happily. "Thank you." She stood up and left, without further words. Harry mused that Luna would have done the same if she were the one here.

* * *

At the time expected, the Romulan representative arrived and Sisko greeted them cordially. Harry was also present.

"Welcome to Deep Space 9." Sisko was in his dress uniform along with his command crew.

The powerful looking male, nodded distantly. "I am Senator Tholo of the Romulan Empire. We appreciate the Federation hosting the discussions with Sir Harry Potter. This is Subcommander Botral who is advising me as regards military matters which may be relevant."

Sisko introduced everyone and then introduced Harry. "Senator Tholo. I am pleased to introduce Sir Harry Potter of Great Britain, Earth, a Knight of the Order of the Thistle; Order of Merlin, First Class; Holder of the George Cross."

Tholo peered at Harry. "Sir Harry Potter, the other side of the requested meeting. I am satisfied that you are here so that the matter at hand can get resolved."

Harry nodded tightly. "Senator Tholo. Welcome to Deep Space 9. I will be happy to get the matter resolved as well. As laid out in the agreed-upon itinerary, please come and accept my hospitality of a meal."

Tholo nodded distantly and the two walked toward his quarters.

* * *

When they arrived, Harry led them inside and invited them into what appeared to be a cloth tent flap.

Tholo and Botral looked conflicted between protesting and not wanting to show nervousness. Harry said, "Perhaps, Commnader Sisko, if you and your officers would go in first."

Sisko replied, "That would be fine." He nodded in acknowledgement of the two Romulans and went inside. Tholo and Botral finally entered and paused for just a split moment as they saw what was behind the tent flap."

Botral said, "This is an illusion."

Harry chuckled. "Please feel free to scan and inspect."

Tholo watched and waited as the Subcommander did that and finally she said, "There is no logical explanation." She grimaced at sounding like a Vulcan.

Harry replied, "It's magic. We'll talk more about that later. Please. Come and sit down so we can get started."

The Romulans were convinced to sit down. Suddenly, Subcommander Botral had a chiming sound on her person. Harry said, "Go ahead. That's likely your ship saying they can't find you."

Tholo didn't respond but nodded to the woman. She answered and, in Romulan, spoke to her ship. Harry waited until a pause and said, "If you wish, I can release my wards, which would allow your ship to find you."

Tholo was the one to respond. "Do so now."

Harry didn't take offense. He pulled his wand and cast a spell, tapping on a stone item near his seat. "It's what holds my ward. Have your ship scan now. I believe you'll find they can see a subspace pocket but that you can be found within."

Botral checked and that was what was found. Harry smiled. "Now that you can be assured that your people can find you now, let me start with the first course: Soup and salad." He clapped his hands and food appeared on the table. "Feel free to accept or reject any portion of the meal. I have chosen Human foods that are, in the majority, high in the minerals and elements that your people might require for nutrition and also acceptable to Romulans, as far as the Federation knows."

Tholo replied, "Thank you for your consideration." Harry knew that they'd eat whatever he provided so as not to give any signal as to what Romulans might not like or be able to eat.

Harry and the elves had sat down and thoroughly planned the dinner. Finding Human versions of Rigellian and Vulcan foodstuffs had taken some time. Harry had to replicate the proteins as they were food stuffs he hadn't brought with him from Britain. The soup was a crab stew. A polished version of Surf and Turf was the entrée chosen, with Lobster tail and a filet mignon with fried shitake mushrooms. The pudding course was a dark chocolate mousse.

Harry had deliberately served each item as separated as possible because Romulans, he had been told, preferred to eat one item at a time. The salad greens weren't mixed; each had their own small pile. The lobster tail and filet mignon and mushrooms were each on their own quadrant on the plate, unlike the presentation normally used for Human palates. Harry had even conjured plates which had raised sections so that the liquids from each portion couldn't flow into the other sections. The mousse had the cream and chocolate in separate piles.

He had told Sisko that his serving would be like this but he expected the Humans to eat as they preferred.

* * *

Dax, who had been present and had given advice from Curzon's experience as a diplomat, said, "I always thought it was a strange thing. Whenever I saw Romulans eat, they were almost manic with the idea of keeping the separate foods away from each other, despite them all mixing in the stomach."

Harry shrugged. "It could be from their time fleeing from Vulcan, during the Sundering."

"How so?" Dax asked.

"Maybe they had to get food from different sources. Combining them before knowing each portion was verified as good could have caused food to be contaminated. The way they eat, they can reject any single item but eat everything else."

Dax considered that. "Maybe." She shrugged and she went back to helping him with his menu.

* * *

Finally the meal was finished. Harry clapped his hands and the plates all disappeared. "My retainers are very efficient. Would you care for a final drink before the meal finishes?"

Tholo, who had relaxed a little, said, "Certainly. I would like to see what is on offer."

"Well, I don't have anything with the kick of a Romulan Ale – that drink is legendary in Federation space. But I do have a choice of straight spirits or cocktails."

Tholo looked at Botral and then said, "Surprise me."

Harry nodded. "Winky!"

Winky popped in near Harry. "This is Winky Potter, a House Elf of my house and one of the individuals who cooked and prepared the food."

Tholo said, "The food was cooked and prepared well."

"Thank you, Senator Thole." Winky was the better speaker which is one reason he had called her.

"Winky. If you would be so good as to provide a pitcher of Long Island Ice Tea and several glasses, I would appreciate it."

"Of course, Master Harry." She popped off.

Sisko asked, "Long Island Iced Tea?"

Harry explained, "Something I found in the United States when I was traveling after leaving Great Britain to get away from my fame. It appears to be iced tea but contains several alcohols. Despite its innocuous taste, it really is strong. Not as strong as Romulan Ale is purported to be, but I believe Senator Thole and Subcommander Botral might enjoy it."

Winky popped back with a tray. There was a pitcher, glasses with ice, and lemon wedges, one to each glass.

Winky snapped her fingers and each glass was filled. "Thank you, Winky." She nodded and popped off.

Bashir asked, "Alcohol and not synthehol?"

"Yes. So I would limit it to one each," Harry said with amusement. "If you don't pay attention, you can become quite intoxicated."

Harry drank first to show it was safe and then the Romulans followed. Tholo said, "As you said, it is not Ale as we know it, but it isn't unpleasant."

Harry replied, "Back in twenty-first century Earth, the art of making different cocktails was an art. Each culture had different alcohols, wines, and fruit juices, and many people enjoyed mixing them for different tastes. I think I was told that there were thousands of different wines and spirits over the world, thousands of different beers and ales, and thousands different fruits. Add to that that for some fruits there were thousands of varieties, and you can see why bartending could require months or years of training."

Botral said, "That is quite a lot of different alcohols. Did your people drink so much?"

Harry shrugged. "Alcohol was a time-honored way of storing the product of one's farming. Whisky and wine store much easier than barley and fruit. Most people then, as now, enjoyed the occasion drink. With 6 or 7 billion people, if one tenth had one drink every day, that would be … 200 billion drinks every year? I don't know. It's a lot. Having only thousands of varieties could be considered small."

Sisko said, "We've gotten away from alcohol for the most part and moved to synthehol."

Harry chuckled, "That's in Starfleet because they don't want their people making mistakes in space. I saw plenty of wine drinkers on Earth. Picard's family grows wine grapes."

Finally, the dinner was considered finished. Harry stood when his guests did. Before they could comment Harry said, "I was particularly obvious about magic tonight so that you could verify that I and people around me have that ability. We will talk tomorrow. But I wanted you to be able to observe it and to consider what that means."

Tholo said, "We will speak tomorrow."

"Good. Have a good night. Lt. Dax has volunteered to lead you back to your docked ship."

Jadzia smiled. "I did."

* * *

The meeting the next day was almost a formality. Tholo could not claim that Harry didn't seem to have tecehniques and abilities that technology wouldn't explain. It was also verified that legally Harry didn't answer to the Federation Council, though he did answer to the King of Great Britain. King Charles not being the actually ruler meant that Harry wasn't required to answer to the United Earth Government.

Harry's oath to King and Country was, therefore, not an oath to Earth and the Federation. Harry only answered to Charles because of his magic. Once released, Harry could attach himself to any government. Harry hadn't asked to be released from his oaths for a very specific reason: His diplomatic status was maintained because of his connection to the Royal family.

It was a delicate web but one Harry had resolved to maintain for the moment.

Tholo finally made a formal statement. "Tentatively, the Romulan Empire will accept that your techniques are not a violation of the Treaty of Algeron. However, that decision must be ratified by Romulan leadership. The Romulan Empire would make a request."

Harry wanted to say, "Fuck no. Get out." But he maintained his pleasant façade. "And that is?"

"We would ask that you allow an observer for ten days. In that time I will have returned to Romulus and can accept that person's report."

"What would they report?"

Tholo said, "They would verify that your cloaking is not a Federation device. Seeing it in operation would allow them to verify the differences."

"How?" Harry asked.

"Cloaking devices require definable changes in operations. That would be what is observed."

Harry knew that they were grasping at straws. "That person will be required to sign an agreement not to report on matters that are deemed private to myself and my crew."

"Agreed." Tholo expected his agent to defy a signed piece of paper.

"Who will be the observer?"

"Subcommander Botral."

Harry talked to Sisko privately to get his take but finally agreed. He figured she could be forced not to speak of matters important to him.

* * *

Subcommander Botral was watchful as she made her way onto the Bruce. She had no personal animus outside of the normal dislike for non-Romulans.

Her orders were clear: She was to use whatever methods necessary to learn this Human's secrets and, if possible, obtain instructions on their use. She glanced over at her host. Whatever methods included possible seduction. He wasn't the worst looking individual she might ever bed.

She smirked to herself as she considered that she would have to be careful not to break him if she succeeded with that method of infiltration. He was, after all, only Human.


	39. The Dominion Acts

Harry was sitting in his command chair, having just undocked the Bruce from Deep Space 9.

He hit the comm. system. "All hands: We are, for the first time for the Bruce, moving to the wormhole and visiting the Gamma Quadrant. Feel free to gawk if you aren't on duty. Three minutes to wormhole." He deactivated the PA.

Dawkins asked, "You don't want to activate wards before hitting the wormhole?"

"No." He glanced over at Botral, their Romulan guest, and back to the screen. "I don't know if a ship hidden with wards could activate the wormhole. And I don't know if the beings within the wormhole might notice and object to the wards."

Botral asked, "Object?"

Harry sighed. "I'll explain once we're through."

Dawkins called, "2 minutes."

"Steady as she goes."

Finally Dawkins called out, "We're reading increasing neutrino levels." On the forward screen, the wormhole burst into view in all its glory.

"Take us in."

Soon the Bruce was flying through the wormhole. "It's beautiful. But it's so obviously artificial," Harry commented.

"Why do you say that, Captain?" Dawkins asked from Ops.

"This is too … regular. Look at the geometry. It's too regular, too perfect. And don't the scans show regularities unknown in real space?"

Dawkins said, "They do. You arrived in the wormhole, right?"

"Yes. The Prophets were gracious enough to arrange for Commander Sisko to meet me so we could arrive back into real space."

Botral asked, "How did you come to be in the wormhole?"

Harry smirked. "I jumped through the Veil of Death voluntarily."

"Twenty-five seconds to terminus."

"Thank you."

Harry relaxed a lot when they finally got spat out the other side. "That really makes me nervous."

Stolel commented, "There is no cause for nervousness." Harry noticed Bortal almost grimacing when a Vulcan spoke. It was funny. "It stands to reason that the aliens within the Wormhole have no interest in those who traverse the passage. The passage is stable. There have been no reported anomalies as regards the wormhole." He hadn't been told about the trip Major Kira and Doctor Bashir had experienced.

"I know. But I'm a wizard and I have a sense of power. The aliens? Powerful enough to think someone out of existence if they decided it was appropriate. We should be happy they seem indifferent except when it comes to Bajor."

Neema asked, "What about Bajor?"

Harry shrugged. "They said they were _of_ Bajor. I think it's likely they created the wormhole to travel to connect to Bajor to their original home in the Gamma quadrant. Who knows? It's been thousands of years since the wormhole was created, according to everyone's best guesses. All I know is that I'd rather not piss them off." He glanced around. "How far are we from an otherwise empty system?"

"We are 4.7 light years from the Idran system."

Harry nodded. "Activate cloaking wards."

"Cloaking wards, Aye."

"Set course for Idran system, Warp 7.3."

"Setting course, Aye."

"Engage."

Botral asked, "Aren't Federation ships limited to Warp 5?"

Harry smirked. "This isn't the Federation. But more than that, variable geometry nacelles prevent the damage because the warp field is better controlled to prevent leakage of warp particles from the warp field. Also, this ship has other magical aids for preventing subspace instabilities."

Harry had been impressed by the modifications to the Intrepid class. The Bruce didn't have the variable geometry nacelles but he wasn't going to explain to the Romulans.

Botral asked, "Aren't you scheduled to arrive at New Bajor?"

Harry smirked. "My assistant Selene wants me to test something and I need space to do it." The ability to duplicate a photon torpedo was what was being tested. If it could be done remotely with an enchanted array, Harry would then test in from within the ship.

One thing he didn't want Botral to see was his checking in with Griffon. Griffon was two days from Deep Space 9 space but wouldn't decloak until Bruce was flying back through.

One thing that had been noted was that the haziness decreased the closer the ships were to each other. It was still hazy but it was clearer. Harry planned on putting Selene onto increasing the power on a mirror.

Harry looked over. "So far, do you see any indications we are operating a cloaking device?"

"No. But I can't be certain you are cloaked."

Harry considered that. "Well, we'll have to prove that in a way you can verify. We're going to be a while to Idran and we'll be there for a few hours. You might as well return to your quarters and enjoy yourself however Romulans do that."

Botral said with a smirk, "Given the right opportunity, and _partner_, we can enjoy ourselves quite well."

Harry barked a short laugh. "I'm sure." He said to Stolel, "Please have one of your people escort the good Subcommander."

"Aye, Captain."

After she left Dawkins asked, "Was it just me or did she try to flirt with you?"

Harry considered that. "Maybe. Why? I don't know. I'm going to let it go right now. Call Selene to my ready room. You have the conn."

* * *

Selene and Harry ran through the mechanism and the runic array. She also showed the arithmancy which said it would work. Harry had to trust her on that. The fuzzy logic computer Lars had set up with the gel pack providing the processing power also showed the arithmancy.

Harry found it amusing that regular computers couldn't do the math properly – every time the same numbers ran a different answer came out. Lars had almost killed himself trying to figure that one out. He had finally figured out that it had to do with decision points in the process.

Nevertheless, with Oliver Blake's assistance and under Selene's directions, Harry constructed the simple mechanism to test the theory.

The mechanism contained one photon torpedo. A circuit would activate a mechanism to kick out a duplicate so it could be launched. If no duplicate appeared the mechanism would shut down.

Selene worked with Harry to install the remote at the tactical station.

That night, Selene sat at Harry's table in the ship's mess. There were about twenty people eating because they all at in shifts. Botral ate at the Captain's table. Harry introduced the others there, which also included his Vulcan physician, Cheryl Dawkins, Selene Lovegwood, and Neema Emem.

"We'll be arriving in the Idran system at 07:00 ship's time. You're more than welcome to see what we're testing." Harry had decided that some things were better found directly than through rumor.

"What are you testing?"

Harry replied, "I'm using magic to duplicate photon torpedoes. But we don't know if it will work."

Botral blinked in shock. "I'd be interested in seeing that."

Harry shrugged. "It could explode or not work. So don't get too excited."

After a while, Botral was finished and left. Selene also finished. She looked at her boss and said, "She's got Betty Davis Eyes." Selene then stood and cleaned up her tray and left.

Harry shook his head and looked toward the direction Selene had left. "I have no idea what that means." The others at the table shrugged as well.

* * *

The Bruce arrived to the Idran system and moved to find a small number of asteroids. Once they were stationary and 500,000 km away Harry gave the order.

"Stolel. Launch first torpedo."

"Aye, Captain."

Dawkins was watching the scanners. "Sensors read a photon torpedo moving at projected speed toward asteroid 1." They didn't want the torpedo to last only a few seconds so it was sent off slowly.

"Time until impact?"

"45 seconds."

Harry sighed. "Controlled tests – so much less exciting than direct launches."

Stolel spoke up, "But much safer." Cue grimace – Harry felt amused at Botral's grimace whenever Stolel spoke.

"Time to impact?"

"24 seconds."

Everyone watched. "4 … 3 … 2 … 1." An explosion then occurred at the asteroid belt.

Harry asked, "How does that compare to a normal explosion of that size of antimatter content?"

Stolel was working with Bill. He answered. "Computer reads 99.1 percent of expected reaction."

Harry nodded. "Launch second torpedo at more distant target."

The numbers came back. "98.7 percent."

Harry ordered, "One after the other, stopping at 10." The enchantment, however, gave out at 6.

"The mechanism will no longer fire."

Selene, from her position, said, "It ran out of magic."

"Okay. Lock down torpedo. Tractor in the mechanism. We're going to shoot the duplicates to make certain they are destroyed."

The excess torpedoes blew up in spectacular fashion. "Okay. Activate cloak. Set course for New Bajor. Warp 7."

Bill and Martinez echoed, "Aye, Captain."

Once they were one the way Harry stood. "Dawkins. You have the conn. Selene, Stolel, and I will be doing some work on two launchers – one fore, one aft."

"Aye, Cap'n."

Botral asked, "What of me?"

Harry considered. "Well, you will not be able to understand what we're doing as it is far outside of your experience. You have the freedom of crew recreational facilities – you are not allowed in Engineering or other sensitive areas without an escort."

Botral said, "I would still like to see your work."

Harry replied, "Not this time. Maybe next time." He looked at the other two. "Let's go."

Dawkins entered the Romulan woman's limitations into the computer even as they left.

Selene said, "Definitely Betty Davis Eyes."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

"You'll figure it out."

* * *

It took the better part of the day to complete their work. When they were done, two launchers could work as originally intended or send duplicated torpedoes. Harry figured they would find something to test the launcher on in the New Bajor system or when they got back to the Alpha Quadrant.

They had dinner that night again, this time with Dobby and Winky serving. Botral flirted, Harry responded, and other than that everything was calm. Once Botral left, Stolel had a comment.

"I searched cultural databases and found reference to Betty Davis Eyes."

"Oh?" Harry asked.

"In your original timeline, there was a song with that title which won an award called a Grammy."

Harry smirked. "I'll have to listen to it. Winky!" Winky popped in. "Please bring me one of the media players linked to our database."

"Yes, Master Harry."

Winky brought it and Harry played the song. When it was done Stolel said, "I do not understand."

Harry chuckled. "Selene was just commenting that Botral is a spy." Stolel looked confused. "Trust me – it's a Lovegwood mental road and so a little strange. But she was commenting on something I already guessed."

Stolel asked, "So you believe Botral to be a spy. Why have you allowed her such access, and why do you 'react positively to her innuendo?"

Harry shook his head. "She's trying to seduce me. There's no reason I can't have intimate relations with her. That doesn't mean I trust her."

"According to the accepted mores of Human society, that is not logical."

Harry chuckled. "You should read the James Bond novels or watch the vids."

Stolel replied, "I will search the cultural database for information."

* * *

The next morning Harry was on the Bridge as the ship was traveling along. Dawkins was reading the sensors. "Captain?"

Harry perked up. "Yes, Bill?"

"We're reading ships on course for New Bajor."

Harry asked, "Any more information?"

"No. We are ten light years away, meaning we will arrive tomorrow. The ships are almost seven light years from the colony. I read three, and they appear to be in formation. We cannot get any better resolution at this distance."

Harry sighed. "17 Kilometers. That's what the range is at low resolution. Have you tried the various techniques to focus better?" Harry didn't like technobabble sometimes.

"Yes."

"Would you mind Stolel attempting to assist?"

Dawkins considered. "No." Harry saw that Stolel was already moving. But they were unable to increase the sensors.

"Okay. Neema. Attempt to raise New Bajor on subspace comm."

"Aye, Captain." However, Harry's attempt was doomed to failure. "Captain Potter, communications appear to be jammed."

Harry sighed. "And we're too far away to try to cut through." He tapped his panel. "Potter to Blake."

"Go ahead, Captain."

"We're reading ships approaching New Bajor on long-range sensors. These ships are also blocking communications. They are three light years closer than we are." Harry looked up. "What's their speed?"

Dawkins read the sensors. "We're reading Warp 7."

"Blake. Did you get that?"

"Yes. What are your orders?"

"We're over a day away. I don't know what the deal is but this ship is all we've got. What speed can you give me without it falling apart?"

There was a long pause. "I can give you Warp 7.6. I will attempt to increase that. When we're within 5 light years, we can increase speed to warp 8.4. Warp 8.65 is if there is no other choice."

"Acknowledge. Martinez. Increase Speed to Warp 7.6."

"Warp 7.6 Aye,."

"Neema. Activate Mirror relay for Griffon."

Neema tried but it did not come through. "Retrieve Mirror from the relay mechanism."

"Yes, Captain."

Shortly, Neema returned with the mirror. "Dawkins. I will be right back. I will be going to the wardstone and trying to call from a closer proximity. Hopefully that works. Otherwise, we're all alone. If anyone checks in, tell them I'll make an announcement soon."

"Yes, Cap'n," Dawkins replied solemnly.

* * *

Harry moved quickly through the ship, ignoring crew members attempting to talk to him. He walked right past Botral. When she spoke, he shook his head. "I'll make an announcement soon." Finally he was at the wardstone. Pulling his wand, he cast a spell to charge the mirror directly. He then tapped on the mirror with his wand.

"Griffon."

An extremely dim image came through. It took a few seconds. "You're barely coming through." Harry heard enough to understand.

"Mayday. Mayday. Ships approaching New Bajor, possibly Hostile. Ships approaching New Bajor, possibly hostile. Increase to maximum speed to Deep Space 9. Increase to maximum peed to Deep Space 9. Contact Sisko. Contact Sisko. Alert Bajor and Federation. Alert Bajor and Federation. Traverse wormhole and come to New Bajor fastest. Traverse Wormhole and come to New Bajor fastest. Mayday. Mayday. Acknowledge."

Krim's voice came through extremely tinny and quiet. There was only a shadow in the mirror. But Harry understood enough that Krim had gotten the message. Thank the Prophets.

Harry took a moment to savor that small victory and then resolutely stood up to make his way back to the bridge. He was much more deliberate on his way back. When he passed crew members he would say, "There will be an announcement."

He returned to the bridge. The entire bridge crew was there, as was their guest. Dawkins stood up and moved to Ops. "Thanks, Bill," he said quietly.

Harry sat down and activated the PA. "All Hands. This is the Captain. We are a little less than ten light years away from New Bajor. Long range sensors have identified three unidentified ships on course for New Bajor, in formation, traveling at Warp 7. Subspace communications to the colony are being jammed. With an unknown circumstance, I am preparing for the worst. Through extreme effort, I have contacted Griffon and passed on enough information for Captain Krim to alert the Federation and Bajor. I have also ordered him to bring Griffon as quickly as possible." He paused. "That does not change the fact that we are a single ship and, compared to most, small and underpowered. I _hope_ that my caution is unnecessary. I hope that diplomacy will enable us to have peaceful interactions. But I am also a person who knows that the worst happens when everything seems to be going best. We will arrive when we arrive and see what we see. If we have further information, I will alert everyone. All hands are to prepare the ship for whatever action is required. I trust you all as I hope you trust me. That is all. Potter, Out."

Harry looked at Stolel. "We've got 11 phaser arrays. Make certain all are operational. I will be working to ensure the three torpedo launchers are as ready as they can be. Any questions?"

Stolel considered that. "No, Captain."

Harry looked at his tactical officer curiously. "Is my extreme reaction logical, Stolel?"

He considered that. "Given what we know at this moment …" He cocked his head and then said, "Yes, Captain."

Harry nodded. "Dawkins. You have the conn. Call Selene and have her meet me at the last torpedo launcher."

"Aye, Captain."

Botral asked, "Can I now see what you are doing?"

Harry paused. "Fine. If all goes well, this is unnecessary. If it is necessary, I hope it works. You can make suggestions from your experience. You don't know magic, but you are a Subcommander and likely have battle experience."

The Romulan woman nodded. "I do have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Who is Krim and what is Griffon?"

Harry gave a wintry smile.

* * *

Sisko was in Ops going over the day's schedule with Major Kira when the call came in.

Dax piped up, "Call coming in on subspace, marked urgent."

Sisko's eyebrow rose. "On main screen."

The screen activated and all were surprised at the imagine on the screen. Krim Aldos, former General of the Bajoran Resistance, was sitting in what appeared to be a command chair. He was dressed in a uniform similar to that worn by the crew of the Bruce. Not much could be gleaned from what was behind him, but the area seemed large.

"General Krim," Sisko said with some surprise.

"Captain Krim now, Commander Sisko. I command BSS Griffon."

Sisko replied, "I have not heard that there was another ship with a BSS designation."

"Sir Harry's idea, with King Charles' support. But that's not important at the moment. My superior, Commodore Harry Potter, contacted me urgently."

Sisko's eyes widened. "I was not aware that he had returned from the Gamma Quadrant." The Commodore was a new thing as well.

"He has not." The station personnel were stunned. "One purpose he had in going to the Gamma quadrant was to test his magical mirrors between the Gamma Quadrant and the Alpha Quadrant. I am still several light years from the wormhole but he was able to pass a warning to me."

"And that warning?"

"Our ships have a way of recording the mirror relays. I am sending you the file." Krim looked off and nodded at someone. Sisko looked over at Dax, who nodded that she had received the file. "I recommend watching it and then we will discuss."

"Put it on the Ops screen."

The image came through, though it was obviously degraded. Krim spoke, "The second time through is the enhanced version." They all watched the second time through.

Sisko felt a chill. "Thank you for alerting us. We will dispatch our runabouts immediately as well as alerting Starfleet."

Krim said, "I suggest waiting for my arrival first. Griffon can run at Warp 9.2 and has a maximum speed of 9.5 for twelve hour bursts. Griffon has four runabouts, though they are not as armed as Federation runabouts as ours are meant to help pick up and land people and supplies only. However we have room for more runabouts as needed."

Sisko was curious. "How many runabouts can you carry?"

Krim said with a tight grin, "Your three will prove to be easily carried in addition to those we have already."

Everyone was shocked at that. Sisko asked, "Just how big _is_ BSS Griffon?"

"You will see when we arrive in 23 standard hours. We will decloak within sight of your station – I will alert you before we arrive. Once you are aboard, we will traverse the wormhole."

"We will see you then, Captain Krim."

"Until then. Griffon, Out."

Sisko turned to Dax. "Package all of that and send that subspace to Starfleet Headquarters, marked ultraviolet priority. And then find out if there are any Starfleet vessels within range to call in and assist."

"Aye, Commander."

Major Kira spoke up. "Permission to alert the Provisional Government."

Sisko nodded. "Krim was ordered to alert Bajor. Go ahead and talk to them."

"Thank you, Commander."

* * *

Harry had worked several hours with the crew members to ensure that the ship was as prepared as possible. Dawkins had finally told him to go to his quarters and relax. The earliest the unknown ships could arrive would be the morning and the earliest the Bruce could arrive would be nearly midday.

He was sitting on his couch, watching an old vid when his door chimed. "Computer. Pause." He then called, "Door open. Come in."

Harry stood up when he saw who had arrived. "Subcommander Botral. What can I do for you?"

The Romulan woman replied, "It is possible that tomorrow you and all hands will be destroyed, if your worst case scenario plays out."

Harry replied, "It is possible I suppose, but not likely. I'm hard to kill and I will do what is needed to keep my people safe."

She paused at that. "Nevertheless, it is possible. I think that in such circumstances, it is better to live fully before such an encounter so as to have no regrets."

Harry replied, "I agree with the principle. What are you suggesting?"

She said matter-of-factly, "I would spend the night in your bed, with all that entails. I would prefer that you spend the night in my bed, as that would leave me more in control, but there is not sufficient time to entice you to that end. I am not looking for a mate, but a release of stress."

Harry was now old and experienced to know that this was not true. He guessed that she had been trained to infiltrate and, having studied what was known of the Romulan Empire, it was likely common training for military personnel, especially females.

Still, Harry had read the Bond books and watched all the films after he had gone into seclusion. Sex was sex, so he smiled. "That might be something to discuss."

* * *

Early the next morning, Harry cheerfully got up to prepare himself for the day. He also woke his bed companion.

Harry got the idea that he had surprised her with his stamina and resiliency. He hadn't had such an intense experience since his visit to the Klingon homeworld. Romulans were, Harry found, much sturdier than normal Human women. As she seemed to prefer it rather rough and hard, Harry had obliged. Afterward, he had been surprised by her almost kittenish demeanor.

In the morning, however, she was back to her normal self and Harry had politely sent her off to her quarters so that he had time to prepare for the day.

He arrived on the bridge at 06:30, one and a half hours before his normal schedule. All other Alpha personnel were also present.

Harry sat down at his chair and called out, "Status report." Dawkins gave a concise report of the ship and her readiness. Harry asked, "Any more details on the ships approaching New Bajor?"

"We're much closer and so we have silhouette. On main screen, now." The forward viewer changed and an image without detail of three ships appeared. Harry glanced over at Subcommander Botral as she arrived and sat in the XO chair.

"Any details?"

Dawkins replied, "From sensor readings, the three ships are generating a 39-Cochrane warp field."

Harry asked, "What does that mean?"

Botral spoke. "For a ship that size, the warp field must be extremely efficient to achieve Warp 7. That shape reminds me of historical records."

Stolel commented, "It bears a remarkable similarity to the Romulan Bird of Prey of a hundred years ago."

Before Botral could respond Harry cut her off. "So it is shaped like an attack ship and has a very efficient warp field, indicating a high level of technology. It is reminiscent of a Romulan Bird of Prey, which is ominous because whatever else can be said the Romulan Empire, they produce exceedingly _good_ ships."

Botral nodded in acknowledgement. "Are subspace channels still being jammed?" Harry asked.

Neema answered, "Yes, Captain."

Harry sighed. "How long until they reach New Bajor at current speed?"

"1 hour 36 minutes," Dawkins answered.

"How long until we can reach the planet?"

"At current speed, 5 hours 18 minutes."

Harry hit his comm. panel. "Bridge to Engineering."

Blake's voice came out. "Here, Captain."

"Any reason not to go to 8.4 for a period of about 4 hours?"

"No, Captain."

"It's coming. Bridge, Out." He called out, "Increase speed to warp 8.4."

"Warp 8.4, Aye."

The ship's feel changed and it felt like they were on a speeding yacht or bus. "Okay, people. Suggestions. Should we decloak to distract them?"

Stolel answered, "I would recommend not."

"Why?"

"If they are hostile, the appearance of a ship coming to assist could cause them to intensify any hostile activities. And if they are not hostile or if they are only coming to threaten, we learn more from watching without their notice."

He looked around and the rest of the bridge crew seemed to agree. Botral said, "As much as I dislike agreeing with a Vulcan, I concur."

Dawkins replied, "As your XO, I do as well."

Harry sighed again. "Okay. We'll stay under the wards. Dawkins. When we get close, activate Tribble protocols, all of them."

"Aye, Cap'n."

Botral asked, "Tribble protocols?"

Harry smirked. "It's preparation for battle conditions as well as being boarded. Oh – that reminds me. Dawkins. Make certain Subcommander Botral is registered – we don't want the ship to treat her as hostile."

"Yes, Cap'n."

* * *

Dawkins reported when the three vessels got to the New Bajor system. Sensors were set to capture as much information as possible.

The three ships dropped to impulse and approached New Bajor. When they were near to orbit, Neema called out. "Jamming has ceased. A message is being sent to New Bajor."

"Can we see it?"

Neema pushed a few buttons and finally an image appeared. The man had an odd look, with his ears being very large, going from the level of the bottom of his head and disappearing into dark, curly hair. His face had an alien cast, almost ascetic compared to Human faces. Even Romulan and Vulcans had smoother surfaces.

"I am Administrator Didrun of the Dominion. I regret to inform you," his face showed no regret despite his words, "that the leaders of the Dominion have declared that we will no longer accept the casual invasion of the Gamma Quadrant by those races beyond the Passageway. The Founders have declared that any members of species found from the Alpha quadrant on this side of the passageway shall have their lives forfeit. As a result, this infestation shall be cleansed by the Jem'hadar in accordance the wishes of the Founders. You have one Standard Hour from this transmission to make your peace with your gods before the cleansing will begin. That is all."

Everyone on the bridge was stunned. Finally Harry said, "FUCK. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!"

Dawkins hadn't seen his Captain lose decorum so fully before. He asked, "I know it was horrible. But what really struck in your craw?"

Harry sighed and said in a biting tone, "Didn't you hear the terminology? Gamma Quadrant? Alpha Quadrant? Standard Hour? They've been to our side of the wormhole and we never knew it. We've been infiltrated."

Botral said, "We should turn around this ship to alert our governments. We are too far away and too underpowered. The colonists are lost and you must accept that. It is now far more important that we alert the Empire and the other governments what we have found."

Harry replied, "No. There is a chance that they can hold out. Bajorans are survivors. Those who came out of the Occupation have been honed to fight when cornered and to evade when possible. There's hope for them. I will not give up. However. Neema. Bring me the mirror. I will need to send another message to Griffon and hope it's not too late."

"Yes, Captain," she replied in a serious tone.

* * *

Botral came with him this time as did Stolel. He repeated his actions of 17 hours earlier and got through. "Krim. You're much clearer than last time."

"Yes, Commodore. Fergus realized that proximity to the anchor might have a positive effect. We modified our mirror position to reflect that."

"Good. Well, it makes this easier to report. Are you recording?"

"Yes."

"Report: Dominion has leaders called Founders, unknown race, location. Administrators, unknown race, ascetic faces, long ears, they call themselves Administrators. Attacking troops called Jem'Hadar. Unknown if that is a race or an organization. A being calling himself Administrator Didrun has declared that the leaders of the Dominion have decided that they will suffer the Alpha Quadrant races invading this side of the passageway no more. The colony at New Bajor was referred to as an infestation and Administrator Didrum has given the colony one standard hour to make peace with their gods. Use of common Federation vernacular seems to indicate that the Alpha Qudrant has been infiltrated. My conclusion is that the Dominion has moved to actively opposing as they are confident that they can counter any technique or technology at our disposal. Trust no assumed truths when it comes to technology. Shields may not stop transports. Cloaks may not hide ships. Etc. Due to the Marauders, I am confident that magic has not been infiltrated. But that is not guaranteed. I hope that I can bring to bear my ship and magic to stop invasion of New Bajor. The attack begins in less than an hour and the Bruce is still about four hours away. Bajorans were warned that it is coming, I hope that experience will prepare them to fight and hide. We will do our best. Potter, out."

Harry looked at Stolel. "Go back to the bridge and take the Subcommander with you. I have to dress in my battle robes."

"Yes, Commodore." Stolel's form of address had changed.

* * *

Harry arrived at the bridge with time to spare. "Okay people. We need to make plans."

Stolel replied, "We will need more details to tailor our plans for the circumstances."

Harry sighed. "Okay. If the ships are in orbit and they are bombarding the surface, there might not be much we can do. In that case, we follow Subcommander Botral's suggestion and we retreat to ensure the information gets passed back."

Stolel said, "If they transport troops down, it will require killing or capturing the enemy troops. The colonists likely do not have weapons."

"No phasers, likely. But the Bajorans do have hand weapons." He considered it. "If we can identify the invaders easily, how hard would it be to transport them into space?"

The entire bridge stilled completely at Harry's casual question. He looked around in confusion. Botral finally said, "There are treaties amongst most warp societies outlawing spacing enemies with transporters. It is considered a heinous act. That is why everyone is shocked." Botral didn't seem that offended.

Dawkins said, "Also, Safeties prevent that from working."

Harry sighed. "Sorry. I'm from old Earth. We may not be able to transport them into space but can we transport them to a distance away or to captivity?"

Stolel and Dawkins conferred. Dawkins finally said, "Possibly." His console beeped. "Captain, long ranger scanners show two of three ships entering atmosphere."

Harry looked over. "To fire weapons?"

"No. It appears they are landing."

Harry nodded. "Okay. So we only have to overwhelm one ship in space hopefully and then we'll be weapons free to kill the invaders on the ground. That's possible. Let's hope the Bajorans can hold out."

People started conferring and checking simulations. Harry got their attention. "I need to make a point. Where I am from, the murder or abuse of children is considered the worst crime that can be committed. There are children among those about to be massacred. In my society, even the murderers and rapists and psychopaths who were incarcerated for crimes that would make your stomach turn would not hesitate to kill a child killer or rape a child rapist, violently and horrifically. For even the dregs of my society, there were depths that were considered unacceptable. Spacing, by comparison, would be gentle compared to what would happen to such people where I am from. Understand?"

Everone considered that. Dawkins said, "We understand, Cap'n. And truth be told, I agree. But there are rules everyone has to follow. We've evolved, or so we're told."

Harry nodded. He had a small smile as he waited for the plans. Botral asked quietly, "What is amusing?"

Harry said just as quietly, "Bill's ancestors, usually generous and affable, could be harsh on criminals. People where he's from were particular when it came to personal affronts, especially against family and children. I was told a story once. A man violated a teenager to an extreme degree and then fled. He was caught and sent back to be prosecuted. When he got off the transport, the father of the girl walked up and shot him dead. The authorities let the man walk away free and would not prosecute him despite an outcry from people talking about due process and the rule of law."

"Why?" Botral asked.

"Because justice was meted out by a jury and the prosecutor admitted that he could not impanel twelve citizens of Texas, a state of several million persons, which would convict the man for acting as he had. That is the kind of people Bill Dawkins descends from."

Dawkins called out, "Ships are landing. We're not close enough for more details."

Harry sighed. "I hope Griffon is hurrying."

* * *

Benjamin Sisko accepted the call from BSS Griffon. "Captain Krim."

"Commander Sisko, I have received further word from Commodore Potter."

"Go ahead."

"I am sending the recording of what I received."

Sisko watched grimly as the message played. The grim Sisko and the upset Kira stood there. Finally Sisko asked, "What do you think he meant 'because of the Marauders I do not think magic has been infiltrated'?"

Krim said, "Our ships and the facility that produced Griffon were protected by wards and by contracts enforced by magic. It is less than likely that any infiltration occurred – we would have noticed."

Sisko nodded. "I can see that. How long until you arrive?"

"I have increased speed. I will be there in three hours. Make your reports and calls and be ready. The Griffon's cry will be heard as it passes by on its way to New Bajor. Griffon, Out."

Kira asked, "The Griffon's cry?"

Sisko replied, "I don't know enough of mythology to know what that means. But it sounds semi-ominous."

Messages were sent out and governments were alerted.

A short time later, Dax reported, "USS Odyssey will arrive in two hours. She was scheduled to begin a patrol of the Cardassian border. Starfleet Command has sent out a general alert and has suspended travel by all Federation ships to the Gamma Quadrant. Orders have come in as regards the warning from BSS Griffon."

Sisko said, "Let me see them."

Sisko was ordered to give all assistance to BSS Griffon and to report what had been found. The Federation Council was aware of the existence of Griffon and its abilities to deal with large scale colony launches, humanitarian relief missions, and other operations normally requiring many ships. The 12800 residents of New Bajor could be transported by Griffon if necessary, even if it was originally rated for only ten thousand.

A Galaxy class could, in an emergency, carry 15,000, so the numbers were not that shocking.

Captain Keogh of the Odyssey would answer to Captain Krim for this mission but not command Deep Space 9's personnel. Sisko was to provide any support to Odyssey as needed.

* * *

Two hours later, the USS Odyssey arrived to Deep Space 9. Sisko was on the line as soon as she arrived. "Captain. Welcome to Deep Space 9. We don't have much time for pleasantries."

"Agreed, Commander. I was ordered to wait for Gryphon and that you would explain. The only Gryphon the computer is aware of is a new Akira-class scheduled to launch next year."

Sisko had a grim smile. "No. Griffon is BSS Griffon. It is owned by Sir Harry Potter of Great Britain. According to the communiqué I just received, it is a ship designed for large scale operations, such as colony launches and large-scale Humanitarian relief. I was informed that the entire population of New Bajor could be carried by Griffon if required."

Keogh said, "If it comes to it, Odyssey could also carry them. But if there is time, it might be best to offload unneeded personnel and families if we're going into battle. Can Deep Space 9 hold my people?"

Sisko considered. "We could. But Odyssey is a Galaxy-class. Doesn't she separate into habitat and battle sections?"

Keogh's face lit up. "Good point. If this Griffon can carry the people as needed, then we don't need the extra space _and_ we'll be more maneuverable. Odyssey will separate and I'll order the saucer to orbit Bajor."

"Good. I will inform you if Griffon checks in before their scheduled arrival."

"Thank you. Odyssey, Out."

Those on Deep Space 9 watched as the USS Odyssey separated into its constituent sections. The saucer flew off at impulse to orbit Bajor. The Provisional Government had authorized it landing if attacked in recognition for the Odyssey's efforts to provide succor to the colony of New Bajor.

* * *

Sisko checked the time. "Griffon is scheduled to arrive in thirty minutes. All personnel assigned to the Orinoco, Mekong, and the Rio Grande are to report to the runabouts." He flipped a switch to deactivate the comm and looked at his command staff. "Let's go."

Griffon had alerted Deep Space 9 that it was 5 minutes off. All three runabouts had launched and were above the station. The drive section of Odyssey was situated below.

Inside of Deep Space 9, Jake was on the promenade with Nog. Several passing people had stopped when they heard the discussion. "Dad said that the ship would arrive just over there." He was ignoring anyone around him, as typical for a teenager.

Nog asked, "Have you ever heard of this ship?"

"No. Dad said that he only heard about it yesterday. Apparently, Sir Harry paid for it to be built and owns it. But it's got a Bajoran Captain." Nog also wasn't paying much attention.

"Who is in command?"

"Some guy named Krim. I guess he used to be a General in the Bajoran militia?"

There was a sudden increase in murmurs behind them and Jake looked back. His eyes widened when he realized there was about thirty people watching. He felt suddenly nervous. "Um. Wow. Should we move?"

Nog was less nervous. "Ignore them. We were here first. I want to see this ship your father says is such a surprise."

Jake turned and looked off again. Quark and Rom arrived, with Quark pushing through. "What are you doing, Nog?"

"Uncle Quark. Jake's father said that there is a new ship arriving and that we should watch because it is a surprise."

"You see one ship, you've seen them …." He was interrupted by the sudden catching of breath of several people.

Off of the side of the station, a ship that no one had ever seen before appeared. Compared to the normal ships, it was _massive_. While it was possibly only as wide as a Galaxy-class, its length was easily twice as long. But it was, by far, the most massive ship anyone present had ever seen.

It was as long as the station was, and if one ignored the pylons, almost as tall. The ship was still more massive than the station with all of that.

Quark looked at the ship and asked, "And where is this ship from?"

Jake replied, "My father said it belongs to Sir Harry. He paid for it to be built."

Quark did not know what to say about that.

* * *

Krim Aldos sat stoically in his command chair. "Put us off the bow of Deep Space 9 at 50 kilometers."

"Aye, Captain."

It didn't take long. This was, perhaps, a bit of theatre but Sir Harry had wanted to create a splash. Ten minutes likely wouldn't make a significant difference. Soon, the ship was where Krim wanted.

"Well, it's time to wake up the galaxy. Disengage cloaking wards."

His Ops officer called out, "Disengaging cloaking wards, Aye."

His temporary comm. officer called out, "Receiving hail from USS Mekong."

"On screen."

Sisko, in the seat of a runabout, looked out from the screen. "Captain Krim. Griffon is everything I was told by the Federation Council."

Krim chuckled. "They have been waiting for this moment. Now that we've been seen, they can take official ownership of Elizabeth Yard, where Griffon was built in the asteroid belt of the Sol system. I see that you have already launched the runabouts."

"Awaiting landing instructions. USS Odyssey has detached saucer section and is also waiting to travel with us."

"I will turn you over to Carrier Ops. They will direct you in how and where to land. Once on board, please ask a crew member to bring you to Command and Control."

"I will see you soon."

Soon Orinoco was landed on the Starboard side, lined up with the BSS Thames and BSS Trent. The Mekong and Rio Grande were landed port and lined up with BSS Ouse and BSS Tweed.

The BSS runabouts were named after British rivers and only had two phaser arrays and no torpedo launchers. They were not meant to be able to operate separately. Their purpose was to be able to carry people and materiel between Griffon and a planet's surface. The flight systems on the BSS runabouts did not include proprietary Starfleet tech.

With the ships landed, Krim allowed Odyssey to travel the wormhole before itself making the crossing.

As soon as the Griffon was through, Krim ordered, "Activate mirror relay to the Bruce."

The temporary Communications Officer connected through and the Griffon's command crew was shocked when Neema Emem appeared on the screen. Urgent sounds could be heard behind her. "Hello, Captain Krim. I'm sorry. Commodore Potter is busy right now attacking the invaders of New Bajor. The Bruce is overseeing the effort to keep track of him as he's moving trough the colony's capital and XO Dawkins told me to explain what's happening."


	40. New Bajor

Sir Harry Potter, commanding BSS Bruce was grim as they scanned as best they could after the one-hour deadline had arrived. Jamming had immediately begun again after the ultimatum had been delivered and no one knew what was happening.

"Potter to Blake."

"Go ahead, Commodore."

"We're two hours out and the massacre has just begun. Can we increase to 8.65 without blowing up the ship?"

There was a pause. "If we watch the readings, we can try it. I'm going to come to the bridge and watch from there. I'll work with Martinez and Dawkins to see what we can do."

"Thank you," Harry replied. "Is there anything I might be able to do with magic?"

Blake answered, "Not that I know of. You would have to be able to reinforce an entire series of conduits against an increase in temperature which could cause them to explode. I know that some of our manifolds have been magically reinforced, but it's actually the ship which can't handle more."

"We'll discuss after you get up here."

"Yes, Commodore."

Less than five minutes later, Blake was at the station and coordinating with his engineers. Blake took charge with Harry's permission. "Martinez. Increase warp field intensity by one half percent every twenty seconds. If I say hold, stop increasing. If I say back off, drop it two percent or more. Bill. Keep an eye on the plasma manifold 7-Delta. It's the first one that's not reinforced. 110 percent capacity is the limit we can allow. If it gets over 105, sing out."

"Agreed."

Botral arrived shortly thereafter, her face angry. "The circumstance is not as we thought when this mission started and my government must be alerted. However, I am prevented from making a detailed report. Why?"

Harry glanced up. "I would assume that these items are as regards some of what you've seen me do." She nodded curtly. "The contract you signed is magically reinforced. You can force yourself beyond the limit as defined there, but that would cause you to lose your memories of those matters. I didn't require you and your Senator to sign as a pointless exercise. My contracts _cannot_ be violated."

Botral visibly brought herself under control. "My government needs to be informed of several things. I require a way to inform them." Harry was not reacting as she had been taught Humans did. Humans went out of their way to avoid conflict. Demand with enough force and threat and they would capitulate.

Harry was not a typical Human.

Harry said grimly, "Until we know what is happing on New Bajor and know what we can do to stop this, your report is the least of my concerns. Make a proposed report of what crosses the contract's limits in the ship's computer limiting who can access it to ship's crew and yourself only with permission. I will review it and discuss with you what can be said and what has to be removed. That is the best I am willing to do."

Botral looked at his face and saw that he was not going to budge. "Very well." Her tone was sarcastic as she said, "_With your permission_," and then withdrew.

Dawkins didn't look up from his readings and said, "That is one unhappy filly."

Harry replied, "Not my biggest concern right now."

"True, Cap'n." Despite the fact that the crew had almost universally changed their address to Commodore, Bill was Bill and treated him as the Captain of the ship.

Finally, the Bruce reached its warp limit: 8.72. Any faster and the ship would start having explosions. It wasn't a huge difference, but it was as much as could be provided.

"Neema. Try mirror relay."

She tried but reported, "Unable to connect."

Harry sighed. He didn't have time or a reason to take it to the wardstone. "Okay. Tell me what we've got on sensors."

* * *

As they got closer details came into focus. The Bruce was able to detect the hidden device which had been remotely activated to jam communications. It had been put in the system but far enough from the planet to not be found.

They would not be able to destroy it until they had taken out the invaders.

Selene had been brought in to help with the math. She had come up with a solution: An original photon torpedo would be launched from the warded Bruce at a certain speed and set to explode at a certain time. By the time of the explosion, the invaders would already know about the Bruce's arrival.

They were a few minutes out when Dawkins could report some good news, good news being relative of course. "According to scans, the invaders started from the outside perimeter of the colony and are killing and herding the survivors to the center."

Harry commented grimly, "They want to make certain they get them all and it increases the terror."

Dawkins didn't know how to answer that. "However, it does mean that the invaders started with the less densely populated sections first." His tone became even more somber as he reported, "I ready 9879 life signs including 80 with life signs that are not within our database."

"The invaders."

"Yes. Two are of one race and the rest are the attackers."

"Number within the ships?"

"Too far out to read through the hulls as of yet."

"How long until we reach New Bajor?"

"16 minutes."

Harry quickly did the math: In less than three hours there were already nearly 3000 dead, killed by less than a hundred invaders. These were efficient bastards.

"Martinez. How close can we come before dropping to impulse?"

"Almost right on top of them."

"Do it." He looked over to the Starfleet crewmember present. "I am officially requesting authorization to deploy all Federation-made restricted personal weapons. I intend to transport crew members to locations of densely located Bajoran residents with several weapons. I believe that the local residents will take up the arms willingly."

Lt. Simpson replied, "As the Starfleet liaison, I am authorizing full deployment of all restricted items on diplomatic vesses BSS Bruce." She entered her authorization into the computers. She said, "Mr. Stolel. All weapons can now be deployed."

"Thank you." Harry knew his hand weapons were limited but he would get them used. Suddenly, he had a thought. "Dobby!" Dobby popped in. "Do we have any of the Muggle weapons we brought with us?"

Dobby considered. "Most are stored or destroyed, Master Harry. I think all that is left is some Muggle grenades and explosives." Harry remembers, those could be used in mining and Harry like the thought of having some. He remembered being a boy impressed with explosions at one point.

The materials he had were non-electrical and fully mechanical. "Get them out Dobby and be prepared to pop then to the surface."

"Yes, Master Harry."

Botral, who had come back to observe and give any advice she could from her experience, asked, "Pop them?"

Harry said with amusement, "Travel by elf magic. Transporters won't move such supplies because they contain crude explosives. Elves are not so limited."

Botral asked, "How effective are these 'Muggle weapons'?"

Harry replied, "Muggle is non-magical. It's a bit insulting so I don't really use it much, but I still lived in the magical world when my speech patterns were forming. As a result, it's easier to talk to other magical beings sometimes using that more insulting terminology. And time is critical – every second counts. And for their effectiveness …" Harry shrugged. "I don't know the range of a shrapnel grenade but it will kill and within a radius of 5 meters and injure within 15. One has to be under cover to use them because the shrapnel can travel a couple hundred meters. Dobby will protect himself with magic I send him to use them. I will have to send him because I will be busy."

Dawkins asked, "Busy doing what?"

Harry replied grimly, "I will apparate to the surface and take the invaders out with battle magic."

The bridge stilled. "We have weapons and we are sending the hand-held weapons down. Do you need to personally attack?"

Harry replied, "I am a Knight of the Thistle. _No one provokes me with impunity_. I can move magically and attack at a distance. You can use the ships phasers or Dobby can pop fragmentation grenades to deliver to larger groups but individually attacking invaders have to dealt with from closer to hand. I didn't bring marines – I brought crew members to fly a ship. I'm already feeling bad about asking for volunteers to travel down with the weapons – they could be killed."

Jessica Simpson said, "I will be one of the ones going to the surface."

"No. Sorry but if I am hurt or killed, only yourself and Ensign Sharif in Engineering will be able to authorize certain things because of your status as a member of Starfleet. You cannot volunteer."

Dawkins finally said, "I can't stop you, Cap'n. But I will be keeping track and if you get hurt, I'm transporting you away immediately."

"Fair enough. Just remember, I'll be using disillusionment and an invisibility cloak. I don't plan on rushing in like a Klingon, or a Gryffindor. I'll be attacking from hiding because we are at a massive numerical disadvantage. You'll have to scan me before I leave to see how much you'll be able to track me."

Stolel had a question. He solemnly asked, "If we can defeat them without killing them, would that not be more logical?"

Harry activated the PA system. "I was just asked if it was not more logical to attempt to defeat these invaders without killing if possible. I am making this known to all crew now: These people are baby-killers. Excuse me if I am unevolved but the universal punishment for the massacre of innocent civilians including women and children is, or should be at least, death. Anyone accepting such an order should refuse on principle, even to their own death. Anyone willing to follow such an order deserves no leniency. I am _not_ willing to waste energy to attempt to capture them so that they can be tried later. Other than my order to capture prisoners for later questioning: No quarter is my order. If anyone feels they cannot follow that order, please inform Mr. Dawkins and retreat to quarters. That is all." He turned off the PA. "Does that answer your question, Stolel?"

"Yes, Commodore."

"Good." Harry noted with approval that no one called in to Dawkins.

* * *

At 1 minute out Harry gave the command, "Stolel. Prepare to fire twenty torpedo duplicates until orbiting ship is destroyed or the magic runs out. If they still survive that, hit them with full phasers until destroyed."

Stolel asked, "Will we drop the cloaking wards first?"

"No. These people are killing civilians. I don't care about rules of engagement or looking brave. I just want them dead. We don't need to drop our wards before firing."

"Yes, Commodore."

"Remember, Bill. Don't destroy the ships on the ground unless they try to take off. Griffon is powerful enough to tractor one up if needed. But if they take off, destroy them."

"Yes, Commodore."

Martinez called out, "Dropping to impulse in 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1… now!"

Stolel called, "Firing torpedoes!"

The ship watching the massacre from orbit had not detected their presence. Therefore, the line of photon torpedoes came out of nowhere. Two lines of ten torpedoes each did massive damage to the ship that didn't even have its shields up.

Stolel called out, "The ship's warp core is about to breech."

Harry said, "I hope that they are far enough from the planet not to affect those on the surface."

Stolel replied, "Some minor radiation treatment might be required. But that can be done if the invaders are defeated."

"Good." Harry was relieved – that was one thing he hadn't taken into consideration with his plans. He'd remember that if a similar occurrence ever took place.

The orbiting ship blew up. "Drop us low enough to see what's happening in detail. Get ready to transport weapons."

Dawkins called out, "Macmillan reports that one of each of the two invading races have been transported into the brig. Both cells are now active." He checked his readings. "Anesthizine gas has been employed. The Administrator has already gone unconscious." His face took on alarm. "Second captive started to traverse cell forcefield before succumbing to gas." He pushed a few buttons. "Forcefield has been increased to a level six force field."

Harry's face was grim. "They have abilities to overcome technology physically. Damn it if these invaders don't seem built to order."

Dawkins said, "We hope not – genetic engineering is ugly."

Stolel called out, "I've located clumps of invaders within weapons range. They are moving to return to the ship while others are maintaining the attack. The other administrator is leading the return."

"Beam him up to a secure room, Bill. Stolel, after that, fire the ship's phasers at will on invaders, set to stun _if_ there is a risk of collateral damage. Otherwise, my previous order stands."

Everyone echoed their acceptance.

* * *

It seemed that the invaders needed their bosses to change their actions as those retreating to the ship kept retreating and those attacking kept attacking, even when circumstances _should_ have caused them to at least regroup and modify current orders. Instead, they just kept going.

This resulted in 23 invaders being killed by ship's phasers.

"Okay. Show me the readings on the center of the colony and where I could apparate to."

Soon, Harry passed authority to Dawkins and popped away. Botral was shocked.

* * *

Dawkins stayed at his sensors. "I'm putting my readings on secondary viewers." He lost Harry a couple of times and then picked him up again. The invaders made it difficult because they too seemed to be able to "disillusion" themselves, with their movements showing as a ripple.

When fighting, they were fully visibly. Their employer was not limited that way.

Neema called out that the mirror relay had activated with Krim asking for an update. He was now within the Gamma quadrant. The XO ordered her to report as he was too busy tracking Sir Harry.

* * *

Harry appeared on the surface and cast his modified Homenum Revelio spell. Before he could get the Marauder's Map to work he had to devise a spell to reveal _any_ thinking being. Once he had figured out the spell, making a runic version had been easy.

The spell made it possible to find all sentient minds within reach of the spell and Harry had practiced until it had become so ingrained that he no longer needed words or wand movements. Immediately he found the alien presences and started casting piercing, cutting, and blasting hexes.

One of the aliens pointed an energy weapon and he cast the disarming spell. Unfortunately, that flew toward him and two aliens with bladed weapons tracked his location.

He almost got cut.

Harry didn't know enough about strange energy weapons to fire the gun and so he let if fall. The bladed weapons, he noted grimly, seemed to have blood on them.

With a call to the Bruce, he heard where the next group of invaders were and he apparated.

* * *

After twenty five minutes, he was seriously flagging. He conferred with Dawkins. "This is more tiring that I expected because they are too spread out."

"We can't transport them when moving – our transporters can't lock on them. And there are now too many buildings to use ship's phasers. We have gotten a defensive bulwark up and are alerting them when an invader gets close. Dobby has popped off and killed a few himself with his grenades but there are too many hidden colonists close by to use them anymore. Most of the killing _has_ been stopped. Perhaps take a break?" Dawkins voice came through.

Harry wanted to finish this. "I'm catching my breath." Suddenly he had a thought. "Winky!" Winky appeared. "I need a replenishing potion and my Firebolt, quick." She popped off and reappeared soon thereafter. "Okay. I'm giving my cloak to Winky. Track my broom and give me directions. I'll pick the rest off from the air."

"Aye, Commodore."

Winky popped back to the ship.

It was quickly obvious to Harry that he should have started this mission using his Firebolt – the invaders didn't look up unless they heard an engine and so Harry quickly killed the remaining lizard-like invaders in a matter of twenty minutes.

* * *

Harry cancelled his disillusionment charm and flew to the defensive barricade. He heard a crew member call out, "He's a friendly! He commands the Bruce!"

He landed. "Hello. I'm sorry if I don't have your name."

"Laghari, Commodore," the man said. "I came over from Griffon."

"I know – I recognized the face, just didn't remember the name." He looked around. "Good job defending – I see seven dead invaders."

"Yes, Commodore. Unfortunately, we lost Nilsson from the Bruce – he was overwhelmed when three appeared out of nowhere. But I and the Bajorans killed them quickly."

Harry asked, "His body?"

"Mr. Dawkins already had it transported up," Laghari replied quietly.

Harry nodded. Once he activated his badge so that Dawkins could listen he said, "I want to tell you and the rest," he looked around at the listening Bajoran men with Federation weapons, "the invaders are now all dead. Except for the three we captured for interrogation."

"What now?" one of the Bajorans asked.

Harry sighed. "I need to get back to the Bruce. Laghari? How are you working with people?"

The man smiled. "I work well with others."

"Good. Coordinate: All residents need to centralize. Griffon is on her way and she's going to need to pick up everyone to take them back to the Alpha Quadrant. We can't defend this planet well enough and anyone who stays will die. I'm almost done in – I've been fighting with magic and I need a two hour nap despite the potions I took. This planet is 11 light years from the wormhole – best case Griffon won't get here for 39 hours or so. That's the time they have to get everyone and everything they're taking together."

"Essentials only?"

"You've seen the Griffon. Bill? Can you set the limits?"

The voice came from his chest. "Yes, Cap'n."

"Laghari. Make certain we get all phaser rifles back and locked away."

"Yes, Commodore."

Harry felt drained. "Bill. Drop a sensor buoy in orbit. After my nap, make plans to land the Bruce. Talk to Selene and the elves about calculating positions for anchors. I want to land the ship and extend our wards. If any attackers show, I'm going to want to cloak all survivors under the wards as well as at least one of the attackers' ships. We need at least one for the Federation to study. Do a long range scan and see if we can locate any more of these Dominion bastards close enough to be a problem. Also, I heard right that Krim is on this side of the wormhole?"

"Yes."

"Good. Mirror him all details. Try not to use subspace unless we have to as that can be detected. Other than that, please pass on my approval to the rest of the crew."

"I put this on the PA so they could find out what we're doing directly."

"Fine. Next time, tell me. Anyway. Is there anything else we need to immediately talk about?"

"No." "No, Commodore."

"Good. Potter out." He deactivated his badge. "Dobby!"

The elf appeared. "Master Harry called?"

"Please pop me up – I've used up too much magic and don't want to risk an accident. I'll be taking a nap first."

"Of course, Master Harry." Dobby walked over and grabbed Harry. Harry nodded to the Bajorans and Lahgari and then the pair disappeared.

* * *

Harry was groggy when he woke up. He deactivate the alarm and then checked the time. "I'm going to raise a stink." He tapped his comm. "Potter to Dawkins."

"Cap'n! You're awake!"

"An hour later than I should have been."

"My decision as the XO. Since you saddled me with it, I had the authority with the approval of your Doctor. You needed the sleep."

"Fine," he huffed. "Status report."

"The colony leaders had to be convinced to evacuate. We hooked Krim through via the mirror and they finally listened to him – his name carries weight. Though the people here are suddenly far more fond of Humans than they had been previously as well."

Harry replied, "That's nice to hear." He became more serious. "Final count of the living and dead?"

Dawkins was more solemn as he said, "New Bajor lost 3634. The majority of women and children survived because they had the hour warning. But there were 128 children killed, and none of their parents survived as they died trying to stop the invaders."

Harry replied grimly, "As expected for any good parent." He calmed himself with effort. "How many of ours were lost?"

"Only Nilsson. The other five who beamed down came through fine."

"Okay. The medical crew, I assume, are treating any wounded?"

"What few there were. The invaders were going for dead, not disabled. Not many that had been attacked could be saved."

Harry sighed morosely. "That's both good news and very depressing. How many survivors?"

"9175 out of 12,809, four in critical condition and being treated, already transferred to our sickbay. 71 percent survived due to our intervention."

"At least we did that much. I will be cleaning myself up. Expect me in twenty minutes or give or take."

"Aye, Cap'n."

* * *

Harry arrived to the bridge of the Bruce twenty six minutes later. "Status."

Dawkins reported, "The colonists are moving as quickly as possible. But they don't have the means to move multiple people and many things together. We've used transporters to assist. But we will be landing soon. Long range sensors do have the USS Odyssey drive section, from a galaxy-class, on course at warp 9.2. According to Krim, they are traveling with, though the Griffon does not appear on sensors. There are ships 16 light years away. We've received signals that we don't understand, possibly looking for a report. But we've not answered, maintaining subspace silence as you ordered."

"Good. What was Krim's response?"

"He agreed it was a good order, as did Commander Sisko who is traveling on Griffon and Captain Keogh of the Odyssey."

"So if those ship come this way, the Griffon will be here much sooner?"

"Yes. Griffon and Odyssey are 35 hours out. Their long-range scanners have picked up other ships. They haven't verified if they are Dominion or friendly but Sisko doesn't recall there being any ships scheduled to travel to the wormhole."

"What is the upshot?"

Bill said, "We'll be able to load up the survivors without any issues but we may run into resistance attempting to get through to the wormhole. Krim and the Starfleet people are making plans."

Harry replied grimly, "Whatever it takes."

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Okay. Anything else before I start calling around to all of the players?"

"Just one thing: Subcommander Botral."

Harry asked, "What about her?"

"She is much less brash since she observed you defending the colony personally. She _has_ made a request that both invader ships be brought back and one turned over to the Empire."

Harry snorted. "That's not for me to say. I'm turning whatever we bring back over to the Federation – they have the resources to fully figure them out. Bajor doesn't, and the Klingons aren't involved. I'll let the Federation negotiate. But if I have _any_ say, the Romulans won't receive one as a gift. They'll have to concede _something_. The Romulans will not receive an advantage because she happened to be here."

Bill asked, "You worried they're going to raise a stink?"

"No. By now, she's seen that the invaders didn't see us so she knows we aren't faking the wards. And we can do things that you can do under a cloaking device."

"True."

"Okay. Neema. Get me on with the head of the Colony."

The colony head, Yirka Meya, was a no-nonsense woman. "Commodore Potter. You have my personal thanks for your timely intervention."

Harry said with some bitterness, "Not timely enough. You still lost 3600."

Yirka said, "9175 were saved. And your officer, Dawkins, allowed us to talk to General Krim directly. He has assured us that we will be brought to safety thanks to your generosity. We are in your debt."

Harry waved that off as unimportant at the moment. "We can talk about such things when all that can be saved are safe. How goes the gathering of people?"

"We're doing the best we can. It will take at least a day."

Harry sighed. "I'll be landing. Right now, we're pretty certain no ships are close enough to get here before Griffon but I want to be ready just in case."

"Where will you land?"

"Near the invaders' ships. That's far enough from the colony center it could be an issue. But the runabouts will have space to land nearby allowing people to load."

"Very well. We're gathering food and things that we are not willing to leave behind. Many came here with little, looking for a new life."

"At least transport will be easier. Unfortunate, but every bit counts."

"Of course, Commodore."

"I will contact you with updates soon."

"Of course." Harry had Neema cut the link. "Activate Mirror Relay to Griffon."

"Aye, Commodore."

Soon Krim was on the screen with a familiar figure beside him. "Commodore Potter. Your XO briefed us as regards your success."

Harry sighed. "I'll be seeing my counselor about that. Everyone says it was a success and I feel horrified that we couldn't save everyone. Many were lost."

Krim replied grimly but gently, "You could have done no more. You made one mistake that you observed and corrected – you should have used your personal flyer from the beginning. You overexerted yourself and were down for hours. But you put your people to work so no time was lost. Lesson learned. Be proud you saved so many. I am."

Sisko added, "I am in awe that you acted so quickly and so well under such conditions. Given the same limitations, I don't know if there are many people who could have done it better."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "You are less than 35 hours out?"

"Correct. We're cruising at 9.2 which is the limit of what can be sustained for both Griffon and Odyssey. Without the habitat, Odyssey might be able to do 9.3, but it is better we arrive together."

"The difference in time would be negligible," Harry agreed. "I would like to transfer the prisoners as soon as you arrive. I haven't checked on their status but I haven't gotten any word that there is a problem."

Bill said, "We're watching them. None have talked. When we tried to check on health and so on, the fighter, only said he was Jem'Hadar and therefore loyal to the Dominion. He had failed and was satisfied that the Dominion would punish him – kill him. We told him we would protect him. He didn't take that kindly. It isn't 'the way of things' or so he said. He will only take commands from his Vorta commander, apparently the race of the administrators. Those are some condescending bastards. They declined to say anything except that they were politely declining to say anything, confident they would be rescued soon."

Harry said, "We'll get more out of them. Truth serum should work." With Krim on the line he asked, "Have we tried to scan inside those ships?"

"No. We were waiting for you. We've got no life signs but we don't want to take a chance. There could be something live."

Sisko said, "Perhaps it would be better for you to wait until we get there."

Harry shrugged. "As long as I verify they aren't going to self destruct? Fine. I'll likely have my elves pop in my chief engineer to make sure they are shut down fully and my tactical officer to make sure there are no weapons."

Krim asked, "Why not use transporters?"

"I don't know if they have defenses against that," Harry replied. "I'd do it myself but my elves would protest. They already weren't happy that I went off to fight without their direct help."

Sisko asked, "Don't Dobby and Winky classify themselves as servants?"

Harry laughed. "They've come to realize that I wasn't exaggerating when I told them they were considered equal. As far as they're concerned, that means that they can now object when I do something which might get me hurt. If they had their way, I'd be in a protected bubble after finding a mate so that I can get busy having babies and being looked after by my wonderful elves. They'll still follow orders because they're house elves and that's what they do, but that won't stop them from commenting anymore."

Sisko smirked. "Good luck with that."

"Yeah. Whatever. Anyway. We're centralizing and we'll be as ready as possible when you arrive."

"We'll see you soon."

* * *

The BSS Bruce finally went Condition Blue and was landed on the surface of New Bajor. Harry wanted to check out the Jem'Hadar ships but was prevented by his command crew who felt he didn't need to expose himself unnecessarily.

The Jem'Hadar had not planned on being defeated and so apparently left no traps, or so Stolel reported.

Ensign Sharif was with the engineers to check out the Jem'Hadar ships and he could not figure out how they flew the ship – there were no screens. Harry's people finally did find eye-pieces, 2 per ship.

There were also no food replicators. The Vorta administrators had some food stores, but there seemed none for the Jem'Hadar. The administrators, when asked, said that the Jem'Hadar only needed "the White." Neither Vorta was willing to explain how to activate, or to activate themselves, the purported dispenser and the Jem'Hadar seemed to accept and expect that.

It was maddening.

The Vorta, however, did accept food and drink, recognizing that it was their own food brought over. One of the Vorta told them that they could eat the food normally provided for Humans and Bajorans.

* * *

Finally Harry decided to apply Veritaserum and to question the Jem'Hadar before he suffered from his lack of "the White". Botral was present and the Mirror Relay was active. Harry had the Jem'Hadar take 5 drops, which it did because of the disdain for it actually working.

It did. Surprisingly, the narcotic effect normally seen when Veritaserum was overdosed did not occur. In fact, the Jem'Hadar actually seemed like it got some benefit from the substance.

Nevertheless, Harry asked a large number of questions, and received very disturbing answers.

Yes, the Jem'Hadar were engineered and so were the Vorta. The Jem'Hadar did not have children. The Founders were described as best as they could be but the Jem'Hadar had not met any of his Gods directly except when he had first come out of the breeding facilities and received his first commands.

The Founders left the administration of the Dominion to the Vorta, expressing a general disdain for other races, which the Jem'Hadar took as gospel truth.

Harry had allowed others to take over and the answers remained just as distasteful. Finally, the Veritaserum was wearing off and Harry asked one more question. "What will you do when the truth serum wears off?"

"I will repeatedly bang my head against the wall until I am dead or beyond use to you. I have betrayed the Founders and cannot survive."

Harry asked, "If I left a knife for you to use, would that be better for you?"

"Yes."

Harry conjured a dagger and left it on the bunk in the brig. He ordered everyone else out. "I apologize for the necessity of dishonoring your service by forcing you to submit to giving answers. But survival requires it and I would do it again if necessary. Die well, Third Talak'talan of the Jem'Hadar." Harry withdrew and had the force field put back up at the higher level.

Harry then stood there waiting. "Why are you waiting?" the guard asked.

"I forced him in this route. I will witness the results of my actions and orders. It would not be proper to ignore them."

After a time, the Jem'Hadar stirred suddenly. He looked around and saw Harry watching. He also saw the dagger. The Jem'Hadar nodded in acknowledgement, looking almost friendly compared to his earlier expressions. "For the Founders." He then violently cut his own throat in the most efficient way available.

Harry sighed. Such a waste.

* * *

Harry talked to Krim and Sisko for a short time and then called Yirka Meya. "We're 26 hours from the Griffon arriving. How are things progressing?"

"They're progressing. We still have to feed everyone but at least we don't have to go out of our way to clean up what's being left behind. But the available supplies are sufficient, so we don't need help with that. Can we get help transporting people?"

Harry replied, "I'm going to sleep myself. We only have a small runabout but we can move some people that way. I also have a ground vehicle that I and my XO are trained to drive." Bill had demanded training to drive the Land Rover. "We can transport more people than you can believe with that. Possibly up to thirty at a time, as long as there is a path for wheeled vehicle."

"How long until you are up again?"

"6 to 8 hours." He had taken a nap.

"Contact me when you're ready to start transporting people."

"Will do. Until tomorrow. Bruce, Out."

Harry was almost disappointed that Botral did not come to his quarters that night.

* * *

Early the next morning, the Ravenclaw had been deployed with a magical tent inside, compliments of Winky, to fly large groups of people to the collection points near the Bruce. The Land Rover was driven out by Harry to pick up people and personal items. Bill traded out with him for two trips and Harry also checked in regularly via the bridge on the location of the Griffon and Odyssey.

It was late the following day when BSS Griffon and the USS Odyssey (drive section only) arrived in the system.

Harry was on the bridge when Griffon called in. "Commodore. We've arrived in the New Bajor system and will be at New Bajor in twenty minutes."

"Welcome, Captain. How many runabouts do we have?"

"We have four and Commander Sisko brought three. The Deep Space 9 runabouts didn't have time to be modified with mission packages for mass transport but can carry 40 people at a time. Three BSS runabouts are permanently modified for personnel transport and can carry 80 people each, as long as they don't need a refresher. The BSS Tweed can carry cargo or carry 40 people."

"Thank god we don't need to take them for days at a time. I'll inform Yirta."

"Odyssey has begun broadcasting on all Federation, Klingon, and other Alpha Quadrant subspace channels, that all ships from the Alpha Quadrant are under threat and it is recommended they retreat to the wormhole." Krim looked grim. "The Odyssey hasn't been able to raise any ships despite there being several on missions in the Gamma quadrant."

Harry understood. "Well, let's get the civilians out of the way and we can worry about other things later."

"Of course, Commodore. We will decloak once we reach New Bajor. Griffon, Off."

* * *

Krim Aldos wanted to give the people of New Bajor a sense of safety. And so he asked, "How low can we orbit and could we be seen from the surface of the planet?"

His XO said, "Well, we could fly pretty low. We'd use up a hell of a lot of fuel but we're at 90 percent. Worst cast? We'd have to run through a gas giant's upper atmosphere after we return to the Alpha Quadrant. But I see no reason not to drop to visible distance."

Krim nodded. "Get me Odyssey."

Harry was waiting when Neema said, "Commodore. We're getting a message in the clear to all residents of New Bajor."

"Put it on the screen."

"Repeat. My name is Krim Aldos, former member of the Bajoran resistance, former General of the Bajoran militia, and now Captain of BSS Griffon. The owner of this ship and the BSS Bruce, Commodore Harry Potter, called Griffon to come and evacuate all New Bajor residents to safety. We will be dropping to visible orbit above the colony so that you can be certain of our presence. We will appear in ten minutes."

Harry chuckled. "That Krim is a smart man."

He and many crew went outside to actually visually see the arrival of BSS Griffon. When it came into sight, as small as it was from that distance, Harry took heart that it was visible without the assistance of technology. He clapped and cheered and the New Bajor colonists, learning what was being celebrated, also looked and the applause was picked up and moved out across all of the people at the collection point.

He hoped Krim saw them on his screens.

"Krim to Potter."

"Go."

"We're launching the runabouts now."

"Good."

* * *

Harry oversaw whatever he could from the ground, but most of the work was done by Krim and the leaders of New Bajor and he didn't have much input. He did see some of the Deep Space 9 crew members as they landed the Runabouts so that they could be loaded. On one such trip, Major Kira Nerys came over to where he was leaning against the Bruce's landing strut, watching the colonists load.

She walked over while the runabout she was piloting was being loaded by colonist. "Watching the people you saved fly off?" she asked in a friendly tone.

"Just watching. It was a tough go for a bit there, but I'm happy I decided to rush Griffon's launch. She was going to launch two weeks later and only stop at Deep Space 9 before doing a colony launch. But at least she was available for this."

She nodded. "The Bajoran government sends its thanks for your efforts to provide aid and comfort to so many of our people. And I wanted to pass on my personal thanks too." She came over deliberately, grabbed him by his uniform shirt and dragged him forward.

She planted a really intense kiss right on his lips before pushing him back. "It I wasn't in a relationship with Bareil Antos, I'd made my thanks a whole lot more personal."

Harry chuckled as he recovered. "I don't know if I'd live through that."

She grinned. "Maybe not. But what a way to go." She cupped his cheek and then turned around to go back to the Orinoco. Her ass definitely had a certain sway as she did. Harry felt a certain regret for never pursuing her.

* * *

Soon thereafter, however, he contacted Griffon. It was decided that the transfer of people would continue on all night and then early the next morning, the runabouts and the Odyssey would tractor the Jem'Hadar ships into orbit. Originally one would have been "lashed" to the place where the Odyssey normally carried her saucer and the second would be "lashed" to the bottom of the Griffon. It was decided to have both be on the bottom of the Griffon.

Dobby and Winky would assist in moving the Griffon's ward anchors so that the cloaking wards covered them. During that time, the BSS Bruce would take off carrying whatever material could be recovered before New Bajor was abandoned.

It wasn't much. The Bruce would keep the Bajorans that she had originally brought to land on New Bajor as well as the colony head, Yirka Meya. She wanted to wait until all of her people had left before leaving herself. She would work with the Bruce to make a full report which could be delivered as soon as they exited to the Alpha Quadrant.

When she was done, she would transfer to the Griffon to spend the remaining time with her people. Harry was looking forward to speaking directly to her. She reminded him of an older version of an actress from back home, Kate Winslet, only less girly.

Bajoran women, he had noted, were no shrinking violets. He was amused as he considered that it was almost shocking that Bajor hadn't become a matriarchy.

* * *

Botral was waiting as he moved inside of the Bruce to go to bed. She was lobbying for one of the Jem'Hadar ships to be given over to the Romulan Empire. Harry explained that that was a matter to work out with the Federation.

Botral didn't buy it and moved to encourage him, once again, with her body. Harry took her to bed but made it clear that he wasn't changing his mind.

He did tell her he was willing to suggest that the Romulans be allowed to get a look at the technology even if the Federation held on to the ships. For that concession, she performed an enthusiastic bout of fellatio.

Harry had already decided to make the suggestion as he thought that all of the Alpha quadrant governments were in things together. The woman's acts made no difference. She seemed to ignore that declaration, which he decided to just go with.

Maybe she got bonus points for manipulating foreign dignitaries?

* * *

Subcommander Botral returned to the room she was using aboard the BSS Bruce. Very carefully, she used a small device she had brought with her to retrieve the genetic samples that had been "shared" with her earlier.

This was not a pleasant activity but her best estimate was that the DNA of a Wizard could prove valuable to the Romulan Empire. There were Human/Romulan hybrids, the most notable being Commander Sela. Such hybrids often were very successful and produced successful offspring as well.

Botral wasn't convinced she wanted such a hybrid, but her best guess was that such a hybrid with Sir Harry Potter as the other source would be desirable.

She put the two v ials next the vials she had filled two days earlier. Unfortunately for her, she didn't look very carefully or she would have noted that the earlier samples had already degraded and the new samples had already started to critically degrade as well.

Harry Potter had employed various potions and spells to ensure that he wouldn't have a child until he decided to.

* * *

Omake:

He chuckled. "I think Winky scared Subcommander Botral."

"Why?" Sisko asked.

"Botral decided to seduce me – some Romulan power play or whatever. Winky decided to interview her as regards how willing she is to have babies with me, how many, and how often. She was very intense about it. Botral started hiding from me thereafter."


	41. Back to Deep Space 9

Sir Harry Potter flew the BSS Bruce off at an angle so as to stay out of the tractor beams from Griffon and flight paths of the runabouts.

By the time the Bruce was settled into orbit, the first of the Jem'Hadar scout ships was nearly out of the atmosphere. Griffon's mighty tractor beam had successfully pulled it up. While the bridge crew watched, the ship was latched onto by the Odyssey and pulled further from the planet until it was above orbital distance.

As the Odyssey pulled the second ship up, Odyssey kept hold of the first one. The runabouts kept a weather eye and did last second collection of things that could be removed.

Coordination and maneuvering finally allowed the two ships to be placed upside down on the bottom of Griffon. The bottom of the large ship was meant to provide a physical screen in case of an attack against the runabouts or some critical operation. It was armored much more heavily than the other portions of Griffon.

As such, the two ships could be shot at and Griffon would likely suffer no damage.

Griffon flew at impulse further away from the planet. It was ungainly, but it worked. "Bruce to Griffon."

Krim came on the screen. "Well, Commodore. I believe that we will have no issues. The warp field will be expanded sufficiently. Mr. O'Brien tells me we can maintain 8.2 with the additional ships attached, and a maximum speed of 8.6."

Harry said, "We'll follow along. Our maximum cruise speed is 7.65. We can only go above warp 8 for 12-hour bursts and then have to do maintenance on the plasma relay system. I'd rather see the colonists taken out as quickly as possible. The Bruce will be only a short distance behind."

"Unnecessary," Krim said with confidence.

Harry was confused. "I'm pretty certain those are the Bruce's limits and I want to see Griffon out of harms way ASAP."

"You do not need to fly at 7.6. Do you remember when Lars Dresbach was pestering you about reinforcing certain portions of the Bruce right after you launched?"

Harry remembered. "Yes. He made me add elements to the struts and landing gear. They were small changes, but he was being an arse about them."

"Right. It might be best if the reasons were explained. Lars Dresbach had modifications done to Griffon. There are four reinforced points on the top of the ship, lining up exactly with the landing struts of the BSS Bruce. There are actually eight reinforced points. If it was required, an Intrepid could also land on the Griffon. However, we would be limited to Warp 6 because of the larger size."

Harry chuckled. "But the Bruce is smaller." Harry was curious, "Why an Intrepid?"

"Because it is one of the few ships designed to be landed other than a Nova or the Bruce, which is based on the Nova-class. He checked with Starfleet and It was decided that any saucer landing systems …"

Harry finally waved his hand to interrupt. "We can talk details later. What I am hearing is that I can land the Bruce on top of the Griffon and we can both get out of here faster."

"Yes, Commodore."

"Let's do it."

It took quite a bit of work but the BSS Bruce was soon firmly attached to the Griffon and the landing pads were magnetically locked down. A manual switch could turn off the magnetic field but the Griffon would automatically drop out of warp if there was a cataclysmic failure imminent.

It took another two hours for the wards on Griffon and Bruce to be synced. Both had Harry's blood in the mortar which made it easier but Selene and Harry had to work feverishly to calculate the new anchors. Harry chewed Krim out for waiting to spill that as two hours were lost.

But in the end, two hours saved 9 hours travel time for Bruce and didn't significantly affect Griffon (she was already increasing her warp bubble to include the Dominion ships).

Odyssey accepted a slightly modified (enchanted) optical device which would allow it to see the ships. Harry also enchanted a ring to attach around the module. If the optical device moved too far from the ring, the runes would burn away and it would become useless. Harry wasn't taking any chances at having the device stolen and misused.

Four hours from the beginning of the operation the burdened Griffon and the Odyssey's drive section were on their way.

* * *

Harry sat in his command chair and looked at the forward screen. "It feels really strange that most stations are deactivated and we're still at warp."

Dawkins, Martinez, and Stolel were on duty watching the readouts in case there was reason for the two ships to separate. Dawkins replied, "Well, Boss. You've got a point. I ain't never seen space this way neither."

Harry nodded. "Has Botral called in to cover her report?"

"She told me she was waiting until we reached the Alpha quadrant."

"Call her up. I'm going to be busy when we get back and I don't need that over my head."

Just as he was about to make the call, the console signaled. "We've got Griffon."

"Main screen."

Krim, with Sisko next to him, popped up on the screen, but it was also split with Keogh. "The long range scanners have picked up the ships we first detected on the way in to New Bajor," Krim said.

Harry sighed. "Where will they meet us?"

"One light year from the wormhole. They appear to be setting up to confront Odyssey with three ships." It was assumed that Griffon wasn't detected, nor were the ships Griffon was carrying.

Harry asked, "What do we want to do, Captains and Commander?"

Keogh said. "Griffon is carrying 10,000 people and vital intelligence. I recommend Odyssey move off and draw the fire away."

Harry said, "If at all possible, I'd rather not sacrifice you. We've already noted that several ships, powerful ships, have disappeared. Possibly it was because of sneak attacks. But we can't guarantee that."

Krim said, "I suggest we meet them. When we are 2 hours from that point, the Bruce detaches. The Bruce and Griffon stop on either side of Odyssey far enough to require them to go to impulse to attack. During their approach, Odyssey fires phasers. When and if that fails, Griffon will use one-ton projectiles."

Keogh asked, "Projectiles?"

Krim explained, "We have four rail guns. We shoot magnetic slugs with enough neutronium coated on their tips to make them one metric ton in weight. Griffon can fire them at .3C – that provides massive inertia. The two-ton type can only be sent at .18C. Their original purpose was as a weapon in case the Borg showed up. But such a small item being so heavy can cause catastrophic damage to shields. Not guaranteed to cause fatal damage to a ship unless it hits in just the right spot, but it will hopefully open a hole for phasers or torpedoes to work."

Sisko said, "These rail guns must be _massive_."

Harry and Krim smirked at each other. "They are quite large," Krim said. "However, that will allow Bruce to repeat its attack, similar to the one used against the first Jem'Hadar vessel at New Bajor."

Harry considered that. "Actually, if Odyssey doesn't fire until the slugs are sent, Odyssey might be able to take one down. I can fire at two others. I'll take the left side, Odyssey takes the right?"

Keogh said, "They will be oriented on me. I'll have to be just above Griffon."

Krim said, "The attack ships might try to fly around Odyssey to maneuver. We'll have to drop the wards as they begin moving so that no one accidentally flies into us. As long as Bruce and Odyssey are outside of Griffon's firing solution, it should work. Griffon will present the forward top, allowing for best solution for rail gun use. Our prizes will also be kept from attack. Bruce can drop her wards when they are reacting to Griffon appearing. The torpedoes can already be fired as Bruce's wards drop."

Sisko asked, "Don't we want to consider just showing all three ships our strength to convince them as to the futility of the fight? We could also try diplomacy."

Harry immediately said, "No." His tone was definite.

"Why no, Sir Harry?" Sisko asked with a curious tone.

"They didn't negotiate with New Bajor. They said 'we decided you don't deserve to live, prepare to die'. That is not a diplomatic contact. That's the attitude of an enemy or a pirate. We don't give them the satisfaction of treating them in a way they haven't earned. If they decide to negotiate when Odyssey stops? Fine. We hold back until it fails. But if they just make demands and/or move to attack, we bury them."

Krim said, "I concur with Commodore Potter."

Keogh said, "I can't disagree with that conclusion. I have to agree as well."

Sisko sighed. "Agreed." He looked at the others. "What do we do if that attack fails?"

"Worst case: Griffon and Bruce activate wards and Odyssey buys them time to get away. We hope that they are limited to Warp 7. We haven't seen them go faster."

Harry said, "Arghh! Stupid!"

Everyone looked at him. "What's stupid?"

"We are. If we get them to stop, all of our ships are faster than Warp 7. Even our slowest ship, me, can get 8.4 for a stretch. They're stopped, we initiate emergency warp and ramp up to warp 8 and leave them behind. On the other side of the wormhole, we set up to attack any ships coming after us."

Sisko said, "He has a point. Why even stop? Have your shields on full and just change course slightly to prevent them from getting in the way."

Krim said, "Too easy for them to get in our way if we show no sign of stopping."

Harry asked a question that was confusing him, "Why are they setting up a light year from the wormhole? Why not just set up near the wormhole? We have to go there anyway."

Sisko said, "Too easy for unexpected reinforcements to appear?"

"How? It's not as if we can communicate across the wormhole."

Sisko said, "But _you_ did. You defended New Bajor _and_ called for reinforcements. If they have a way of communicating so far away they would know that the word got out."

Harry said, "I don't buy it. Other than Griffon, no other ships came through according to long-range scanners, right?"

Sisko said, "We weren't focused in that direction."

Keogh agreed. "True."

Krim offered, "Let's adjust the heading. We'll be able to see a bit more at this distance."

Keogh ordered. "Helm. Adjust course to 010 mark 015."

"Adjusting course, Aye!"

Krim ordered Griffon to follow. It took a minute. Krim said, "Our sensors saw a blip. It's not 3 ships – it's 6."

Harry said, "We'll have to stop, attack and then jump to warp 8. Nobody does it because it could be dangerous in case the other side is ready. But let's hope that the infiltration of the Alpha Quadrant included studying the normal protocols for ships meeting."

One of the people on Griffon's deck called out, "Ships are repositioning to adjust for our new course."

Harry said, "Let's make several small adjustments, make them work for it."

"Agreed."

"How close do we have to be for them to be able to detect our ship to ship communications?"

"We're not there yet," Sisko said. "But can you get a mirror to Odyssey?"

Harry sighed. "No wards. We'd have to be within a few hundred kilometers for them to work."

"That should be fine."

"I'll have to enchant one. It will take me an hour. When we stop to disconnect, we can pop one over."

* * *

Harry consulted with Botral as far as what he would allow her to report. When it was done, Botral said, "You're deliberately making yourself seem more of a threat than you are."

"Yes." He looked at her and said with intensity. "_No one provokes me with impunity_. You should look up what it means to be a Knight of the Thistle."

Botral sighed. She knew that the Empire would ignore her warnings that he was not that dangerous. And she would not be able to _not_ report. He had boxed her into a corner. "Very well. I will go and complete my report."

Harry got the idea that Subcommander Botral was done coming to his bed and he was fine with that. Yirta Meya, however, seemed to be interested in at least one tumble. She was, in old Earth parlance, a cougar. She was fifty two years old and still _very_ attractive.

'_In the interest of good relations_', Harry took her to bed one time before she would transfer over to Griffon. Thankfully, she had been single and so wasn't widowed by the attack. Her previous husband had left, deciding he didn't want to make a go of living in the Gamma quadrant. Their children had already moved away when she became interested in helping run the colony, hoping the new challenge would save her marriage. It hadn't.

Harry found it a nice, uncomplicated diversion and both quite enjoyed it.

* * *

The adjustments made caused the Jem'Hadar to modify their positions several times. The ships had disconnected during a stop within a stellar system. Griffon had traveled through the outer levels of a gas giant as though collecting deuterium using the Bussard collectors, but instead the ships unlocked and the Bruce switched over to internal wards.

It was assumed that the existence of the large ship had been verified on long-range sensors. It was also assumed that their position was only known because of the Odyssey.

That was tested. Griffon turned to a different path and Odyssey continued on. None of the ships changed position to catch Griffon.

They were thirty minutes from the anticipated confrontation when Harry realized something. "Get me Griffon."

Krim's face came up. "Go ahead."

"Turn off the Bussard collectors."

Krim asked, "Why?"

"If they use exotic particles to scan for us, the Bussard collectors are set to collect all of them. Our wards might effectively make us invisible using regular science. But the people who designed the wards didn't know science. It could be nothing but just in case."

Krim did as asked. "What made you think of this?"

Harry shrugged. "The Federation asked me to make a collection ward for tetryon plasma specifically because that's what is collecting the excess particles and causing the subspace instabilities in the Hekaran corridor. Our wards prevent new instabilities but it wouldn't reverse the corridor's problems. Lars was trying to figure out a magical way to define it but it's taking time."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Krim asked.

"Magic might not hide us if we're collecting exotic particles and that's what's used to try to find us. I warded against tachyon particles being used because there is a way to define time particles in runes. Other particles? Who knows?"

"Will we know if our steps to prevent being found worked?" Krim asked.

"Well, if we detect a scan, they might be detecting our detecting the scan. So let's hope we don't detect a scan."

"I'll have Odyssey looking for exotic scans as well," Sisko chimed in.

"I really hate Heisenberg. Bruce Out,"

Krim asked, "What do you think he meant?"

Sisko replied, "Heisenberg's Principle states that you can determine location or speed of a particle but not both. It can be a measurable phenomenon. It also says that observing a particle changes a particle." Sisko then chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Krim asked.

"He's come a long way from his ignorant savage level of understanding he arrived with."

Krim nodded. "Well, that's good to hear. One doesn't like to know that one's employer is an uneducated lout. Don't sensors have some Heisenberg compensation?"

"Only for the most basic of scans. He's right about one thing: An exotic scan might get through a cloaking field where other scans would not. I'm surprised I never considered that."

"Some things only become obvious when one thinks of them. And Sir Harry has a path of knowledge to consider that most people don't have access to."

"So he observes things because he is aware of more than most people. In a way, his study of magic makes him smarter or at least gives him an advantage."

"So it seems. Just knowledge of magic ignoring scientific principles would make him an idiot; knowledge of science would make him normal compared to others of this time; a knowledge of both puts him ahead. And, as he learns more, he'll become even better."

Sisko said, "I had wondered why Lars Dresbach, an engineer and a man of science, was so interested in magical principles when he isn't himself magical. It seems he realized the same truth more quickly."

Krim said, "Something to consider."

* * *

They had finally decided to stop jinking in their route and dropped to impulse a distance from the waiting Jem'Hadar vessels. Krim and Harry watched on mirrors as Keogh acted. "Slow to a relative stop."

One of the people on Odyssey said, "Detecting an anti-proton scan."

Krim asked, "Are we getting that?"

"We aren't scanning for it, Captain."

Keogh ignored that. "Open a channel."

"No reply. Ships are going to impulse in our direction."

Krim ordered, "Target four ships with rail guns." Even as the Jem'Hadar weapons became locked, Krim ordered, "Fire! Drop wards!"

Harry's voice ordered, "Gemino photons at ships up to 20: Fire! Target other ships with Phaser arrays: Fire!"

Keogh gave the order. "Targets of convenience, Fire at will."

Krim called out, "All ships, begin blockade jump, now!" Harry had given authority to Krim to give the order because his voice cut through background noise better. Sisko's voice was bassier and Harry's voice was intimidating because of magic, which didn't transmit well.

While the six ships reacted to the sudden barrage (with four having suffered shield failure due to the slugs) the three Alpha Quadrant ships maneuvered around for a better shot and then suddenly jumped to warp when all were past the group.

Harry had decided that neither ship needed wards up unless more ships appeared. But it looked like smooth sailing as long as …

Martinez called, "Bruce is now at Warp 8." The Odyssey and Griffon both reported the same. Two blockade vessels took off after them, but they could only reach Warp 7.2.

The path to the wormhole was free of interference. Harry asked the question, "What's the order? I'm thinking Odyssey first to make sure everyone's clear. Then Griffon. Then Bruce."

Everyone agreed and all three dropped to impulse. They deactivated the mirror relay and then flew through the wormhole, one after the other.

* * *

Harry admired the BSS Griffon from his position behind and below. It was a very impressive ship and it was the first time he got to see it without worrying about ships coming to attack. The Griffon almost filled the wormhole passage by itself in front of him.

Very soon, the BSS Bruce burst out of the wormhole. He looked out and whistled. "What are the ships on screen?"

Dawkins started reporting them all as the sensors and transponders reported in. "In addition to Odyssey and Griffon, there is the IKS M'Char. The Romulan vessel docked with the station is the same one that had dropped off Subcommander Botral – I suppose they just turned around when the word went out. The Federation ship is the USS Trial, a Miranda-class vessel. And the Cardassian ship is the Reklar."

He then said, "Call coming in from Commander Sisko on Griffon."

"On screen."

"We're getting a grid screen – so all people can speak to all people."

"Go ahead and put it up."

Harry allowed Sisko to reign everyone in – this was Deep Space 9's space and he had authority. "Now. Everyone is wanting answers. I will ask Sir Harry Potter, Owner of BSS Bruce and BSS Griffon, commanding BSS Bruce, to tell you what he can. And then we'll get to questions."

Harry sighed. "Commander? Are you really going to make me calm these people down?"

Sisko smirked. "You're the first major player here."

Harry replied, "How about I send over a package of transmissions and reports? You all can review them, including what I did – I put together a report for the Federation which you people are free to see – and then we can return to this exchange."

Krim said, "Why don't we all agree to meet on Deep Space 9 in eight hours? Our pursuers could come through the wormhole in less than an hour. In addition, we all need to inform our governments of what has transpired according to the records. They may have questions. Eight hours is enough time for a calm, reasoned discussion."

Sisko said, "I agree. Does anyone object?" No one answered. "We'll see you all then."

* * *

Harry waited before he docked the Bruce. He watched Sisko return to the station via one runabout, a second runabout traveled to Bajor, and the last was left out to defend against incursion. They would stand down if nothing came through.

The Trial and Odyssey stayed with Griffon watching the wormhole and protecting the prize of the two scout ships. The saucer section of the Odyssey would return if nothing came through after two hours. It would likely be one ship again before the meeting started.

The Klingon vessel watched the wormhole as well. Botral transported back to the Romulan ship so that the Senator could be apprised of details. The Cardassian ship stood off and reviewed the records and contacted Cardassia via subspace.

Harry put in a call to King Charles and asked him to apprise the Federation of details in case Sisko's communiqué wasn't given sufficient importance.

Krim and Yirta Meya were on the Bruce and would travel with Sir Harry to the conference on Deep Space 9.

* * *

When Harry disembarked from the Bruce, he wore formal robes and his awards and sigils were on display. Krim wore a formal suit based on the uniform colors of the BSS ships and a twentieth century design. Both looked very smart.

Yitra was wearing traditional Bajoran dress for someone in her position.

When the group exited the docking area onto the promenade, Harry noticed that something was happening. On both sides of the path, Bajoran residents had lined up. And when the two men had appeared, those residents cheered, saluted, performed prayers, or did some combination thereof.

Major Kira was waiting as well. Over the noise she said, "Welcome back to Deep Space 9, Sir Harry Potter and Captain Krim. Word has gotten out as far as what you did. The Bajoran government has declared you both Heroes of Bajor. You, Sir Harry, as the one who defeated the invaders and arranged for the surviving colonists to be brought to safety, will be receiving the highest award that the Bajoran government gives to non-military citizens. You can now claim all rights as a citizen. You also enjoy tax-free status due to your award."

Harry was surprised. Most awards didn't have such tangible benefits. "Thank you," he said loudly so he could be heard. "We'll discuss it when we're alone."

As Harry was cheered he decided that Bajorans had much better decorum than Wizards and Witches did back home. He was being cheered but no one actually got in the way. He politely waved and smiled and hoped this would be over soon.

He had almost gotten through the crowd when he was confronted by a particular type of admirer: A young girl with a hand-made crown of flowers. Harry had experience with something like this and knew one thing: Nobody ever accepted little innocent girls being treated with anything other than complete graciousness. To do otherwise was to court retaliation of a particularly vicious type.

And so, when he got to the girl, he stopped and went down on a knee to speak to her. She joyfully hugged him which he returned and, after saying thank you, he pulled his wand and conjured white Calla Lilies as well as Gardenias to signal pure, innocent, and joyful love. He used the permanent conjuration charm. They weren't alive but they would take the normal abuse a flower could take, maybe a bit more.

The crowd cheered.

Harry quickly got out of there.

* * *

He came to the conference room, serving himself some of the Bajoran wine synthehol which was available as well as some of the finger foods. He appreciated that Sisko was trying to make things seem less like an emergency meeting and more like a diplomatic conference.

Keogh appeared and Harry went up to shake his hand directly. They hadn't actually met during the crisis as Odyssey stayed watching. Without Odyssey Griffon and Bruce would have been untrackable but the two BSS ships would have been open to uncertainty due to the situation.

If nothing else, Harry had been happy that there was a Federation vessel was on hand.

Harry nodded distantly to the Cardassian Gul and greeted the Romulans politely. The relationship was over and Botral was as proper and distant as the Senator.

The Klingon was larger than life as was normal. Harry greeted him formally and agreed that they would share a drink together as warriors.

Captain Ribeiro of the Trial arrived but would leave the diplomacy to Sisko and Keogh.

Major Kira was representing the Bajoran government. Her instructions were to go along with whatever the Emissary and the Hero of New Bajor suggested. If they disagreed, she was to use her best judgment.

Constable Odo, Julian Bashir, Chief O'Brien, and Lt. Dax were also present and witnessing.

* * *

Sisko finally got the meeting underway. "Sir Harry. You made a request before we start?"

"Yes, Commander." He pulled his mirror out and put it on a conjured stand. He then expanded it. It would make it more hazy, but it would be visible. "Buckingham Palace."

Soon, the image appeared. "This is King Charles VIII, of Great Britain, Earth. He has a channel open to the Earth Federation representative, who is monitoring."

All present were impressed. Sisko named each person present. "So. Have we all seen the records that Sir Harry sent to everyone?"

The Romulan said, "My question is: How did Harry Potter travel in the battle?"

Harry rolled his eyes even as Charles said, "_Sir_ Harry Potter. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth the Second. I verified the award. Please acknowledge his status."

The Senator said, "Fine. How did Sir harry Potter travel within the battle?"

Harry said, "Magic." He stood and concentrated and popped to a different place. "Like that." He popped again. "And that." And he popped again. "And that." He took his seat.

"Sir Harry's ability to transport himself at will is well documented."

The Klingon, Captain Tarn, said, "He captured Lursa and B'Tor of House Duras this way. He is still owed a boon from the Empire."

Harry said drily, "I'll collect at some point." Tarn laughed. "My question is: When do we interrogate our other two prisoners?"

The Romulan said, "Are we certain of this truth serum?"

Harry replied, "It is called Veritaserum and it has never been found to be fallible. However, It's a potion I have a limited supply of as the ingredients are from my old Earth. I can question only five more people." He was lying his ass off but he did not want to get into it with the Cardassians and Romulans. He wasn't lying about only having enough for four more interrogations. He wasn't lying about not being able to get more ingredients.

His implication that he _had_ no more ingredients was misleading.

"Should we retrieve a prisoner?" Keogh asked.

Sisko asked, "Does this violate the law?"

Harry asked, "Major Kira. What does Bajoran law say about what we can do in investigating individuals being witnessed committing genocide on Bajorans?"

Kira glanced at the Cardassian and then answered, "The laws give the government wide latitude. We cannot torture a suspect but we can hold them and interrogate them in any way that is effective."

Sisko said, "That does not conform to Federation law."

Harry said, "And this is Bajoran territory."

Gul Lumek protested, "The agreement being negotiated between Bajor and Cardassia to put the past behind us specifically removes that specific codicil so that all criminals, even those accused of genocide, are to be treated according to standard criminal jurisprudence."

Major Kira said, "But that agreement hasn't been signed because the Cardassian Central Command wants to modify the terms as already agreed to by the Detapa Council and right now, the Central Command has more authority. Bajor has refused to sign a modified agreement."

Harry said, "So there is no reason not to retrieve and interrogate one of our prisoners?"

Everyone finally agreed to it. A list of questions was worked out. Sisko finally said, "Captain Krim? I believe they are on Griffon?"

Krim looked at Harry who said, "Well, I have one of them here."

Everyone looked around. "Where?" Senator Tholo asked.

Harry smirked. He pulled out a figurine and conjured a chair. Putting the figuring on the chair, Harry cancelled his transfiguration.

"Where am I?" the man asked when he noticed his changed location.

Harry replied, "You are facing those you have called an infestation: Representatives of the Alpha Quadrant races you have stated are no longer welcome beyond the passageway. Well, we're on our side now. So we're going to ask some questions and you'll answer."

The man said, "No, thank you."

Harry turned and looked at Major Kira. She looked confused and finally she realized what Harry wanted. "You were captured during an attempted genocide against the residents of New Bajor, all Bajoran. According to Bajoran Law," and she listed out the law, "you will submit to whatever questioning the senior Bajoran representative deems appropriate which is not torture. I decree that you shall answer questions once you have been given …" she looked at Harry.

"Three drops of Veritaserum."

"…three drops of Veritaserum, a potion and truth serum of magical origin."

The man was amused. "Magical potion? Sure. Why not."

Harry pulled the vial out. The Romulan checked it. "It reads as innocuous."

Harry shrugged and turned to the prisoner. "Open your mouth and put out your tongue."

The Vorta did so and Harry dropped three drops onto his tongue. He then watched the Vorta's eyes. "Go ahead, Commander Sisko."

The questioning covered a large number of details. One shocking discovery was that Odo was a member of the Founders. The Vorta were aware that Odo didn't know his origins and they had been ordered to treat him indifferently but to allow no harm to come to him. Plans were being made to lead him to his people for reasons best known to the Founders.

The Changelings were, to the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar, gods.

Harry Potter was considered an anomaly and the Dominion thought that a single individual could have little effect. However, the Vorta now realized that assumption was false. The Dominion had no magic users that the Vorta was aware of.

Every major government had been infiltrated: Federation, Cardassian, Klingon, Romulan. The smaller governments were being manipulated to work against each other and the major powers. The Bajorans had been skipped because Odo was there and they hadn't wanted him tipped off or accidentally hurt. Harry had not been replaced because the Dominion didn't believe they could replicate his abilities and he used them too much. He would now be fair game as a target.

The Dominion had studied how to defeat all of their technology.

It was a sobering interview.

Harry allowed the Vorta to be taken away. He would be put back on Griffon later.

Harry finally said, "I think everyone is in this together. If you want to go it alone, that's your problem. I will assist Bajor and the Federation and, with their blessing, the Klingon and Romulan Empires against the Dominion threat. Griffon is not a warship, despite its inspiration being called a Battlestar. Its purpose is large scale moves and interceding in Humanitarian crises. If there is war, I would have to decide it was just before I would get involved. But make no mistake: The Dominion wants to see us dead or subjugated. Make a decision how you are all going to proceed. Krim and I will be moving the Bajoran survivors to Bajor and then we're off to Earth to drop off the Jem'Hadar ships. Griffon has to get ready for her first Colony launch mission that we already agreed to."

He looked at Sisko. "Confer with your superiors. If you're coming to Sol with us, we need to know soon."

"Of course, Sir Harry. Thank you for your help." Sisko was gracious even as the rest were shocked that he was leaving.

"Welcome." He looked around. "Goodbye, and good luck. Let's go, Captain Krim."

This is the end of Season 2. Look for Season three coming ... soonish.


	42. Sequel

Through the Wormhole: Year 3 has begun.


End file.
